Greek
by twitchytwain
Summary: Caroline Forbes wants to rule Whitmore College with her king, Stefan Salvatore but fate might have other designs for her. Bonnie Bennett just wants to get away from her father's shadow and what better place than Whitmore even if it does have the biggest, pompous jerk on campus. (Klaroline and Bamon with hints of Steroline, Steffonie, Stelena, Datherine, Bonkai)
1. Separation Anxiety

"It's stunning." Caroline lied starring at the dazzling sequins lying on a soft bed of bubble gum pink wrapping paper in a beautiful white box. She unfolded more layers of candy floss pink wrap and there it was, a sparkling black Versace dress.

"I picked it up in Italy two weeks ago." Stefan beamed flaunting his perfectly white teeth. She smiled lifting it up from the box, the sequins danced in the sunlight and she tried hard to mask her disappointment. She had been dating Stefan for two years and he still gave her dreadful gifts. She despised it, she hated sequins and she loathed Versace. It looked like a large black disco ball twisting in the light.

"Thank you, baby" she preened the fabric before folding it back into the box. He leaned toward her placing a peck on her soft, rosy lips.

"So, how was your vacation?" Caroline continued, pouring him a glass of sweet tea. It was sweltering hot outside and if it wasn't for the air conditioned bedroom, she would be melting in her cherry-print sundress. She pursed her lips, the Lancôme gloss was dripping off her mouth.

"The Maldives were wonderful. I can't wait until graduation. I want to take a year off next year, do a bit of traveling." he sipped the tea, the ice clanking against the glass.

"How continental" she smirked diverting her blue eyes to the view outside the window. Students scrambled around the campus grounds registering for classes and lugging their luggage up to their assigned dorms.

"I missed you" Stefan said, breaking her from her spell.

"You're the one who wanted space during the break." she tucked a long strand of blonde hair behind her right ear and glared at him sitting pretty in his green tee-shirt and blue faded jeans. He had acquired a golden tan. Stefan nodded, shifting in a eighteen century velvet chair that her mother had imported from France in a bid to recreate a historic chateau in the study for their house. The chair looked ill-fitting in her bedroom in the sorority house, displaced around the lavender walls and frilly white comforters.

"How was New York?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Cold and damp."

"At least you went shopping on Fifth Avenue."

"That novelty is worn on me." she sighed. The New York vacation was nothing more than a compulsory visit with her father as detailed in the custody agreement.

"I hated being away from you but I think it did us good."

"It did?" she asked nonchalantly picking a chocolate truffle from a silver platter on her nightstand.

"Yes, it made me come to a few conclusions"

"Conclusions?" her eyes widened. She didn't like the sound of that.

"I've made dinner reservations at Augustine's. I thought we should…talk'

"I'm hosting rush tonight for the new pledges" her voice croaked. Was he actually dumping her? Was Stefan Salvatore dumping _the_ Caroline Forbes? _This was incredulous!_

"Quite the busy schedule" he smiled reaching out for her hand.

"Why don't you just tell me" she murmured trying to read his clear green eyes. Four weeks without speaking to Stefan had been a cruel and unusual punishment for her, she wasn't sure she could stomach anymore. Maybe he had been cavorting with some island fillies in Missoni bikinis throughout the entire vacation. The mere thought of him engaging in some locationship made her livid.

"I've met someone" he said softly.

Before Caroline could even utter a word, Lexi barged in the room carrying a heap of clothes which she summarily dumped on the gleaming wooden floor.

"I'm stumped." she cried raking her pink coated nails through her tousled blonde bob.

"I have nothing to wear for the rush party" she plopped on the cot adjacent to Caroline's with her feet dangling on the side. She looked exhausted.

"I've been rummaging through my closet all morning and the party is six hours away. I'm going to look like a mess in the society pages tomorrow. Shouldn't rush parties just be about the pledges? Now it's about who wore what and who fucked who.' she crossed her long legs, tapping her foot.

"Is that sweet tea still cold?" she pointed her feet to a livid Caroline.

"Did I interrupt something?" Lexi rose from her bed and lunged for the sweet tea.

"Yes" Caroline frowned at her while Stefan shook his head smiling.

"When is the hairstylist coming?" Lexi peered at her ruddy face in the gilt mirror, completely ignoring Caroline's temperamental mood.

"Greg will be another two hours, why don't you go and play with something until then." Caroline gritted her teeth in response.

"I'm actually still waiting for the manicurist, Celeste is running late. You don't mind if I wait here do you?" Lexi perched herself on the arm rest where Stefan was sitting and played with the crystal glass.

"Stefan, come" Caroline flew from her position and sprinted across the room with Stefan firmly in tow. She'd had enough of Lexi's antics and couldn't keep her head straight.

Stefan had met a girl.

.

.

They sat inside his car under the shade of oak trees draped in Spanish moss in front of her sorority house. Caroline was determined to handle this like a lady. _She would not cry, she would not cry._

"Did you meet her in the Maldives?" She sniffed grasping her hemline.

"Yes."

"Then it's infatuation, momentary…I don't approve Stefan but I understand" she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. _Very ladylike!_

"She goes to Whitmore."

"She goes to _my_ college?" she screamed. Didn't she know everyone worth knowing around the campus?

"You don't know her. She'll only be starting out this year"

"Obviously, how could you do this to me? What will everyone think?"

"It's not about you Caroline, I'm in love with her" he dug his pockets for a green polka dot tissue and handed it to her.

"You're in love with _me"_

"Caroline, you know we've been growing apart for months now. I can't leave a lie anymore.'

"You can't just wake up and decide its over!" she shouted. Was she leaving in some strange nightmare? _Did he forget who she was; she was Caroline Forbes, heir to Forbes industries._ Thousands of boys would give their right arm to date Caroline Forbes; hundreds of mothers would love for their sons to marry Caroline Forbes. She was beautiful, privileged, polite, talented, refined, well bred, in fact she was close to perfect.

"You know you don't love me anymore either." he spoke softly.

"That's ridiculous, of course I love you"

"You love the idea of us" Stefan snaked his arm around her shoulders kissing her glossy hair.

"We are Home & Garden Stefan, perfect and classy. What is she, a trashy Cosmo? 'She blubbered into the handkerchief.

"I love her Caroline" he repeated reaping her heart in half.

It was futile to fight it, Stefan; the boy she had adored since elementary school had convinced himself that he was now in love with someone else. The only thing Caroline could do now was to wait, wait until he woke up from this delusional state. She slithered off the leather seat nodding to him and strode across the busy steps leading to the house and closed the door behind her. It was done, at least for now.

.

.

"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" Damon asked as he pulled up his low slung jeans, he fastened the top button and then placed both of his hands on his lean hips.

"Doing what?" Katherine lifted an eyebrow, easing her gaze downward to the jeans resting low on his hips. She hated how good he always looked, he looked even better in the mornings with disheveled hair and that fuck-off rock star attitude.

"This." Damon gestured to the bed with its rumpled sheets that still carried the scent of their morning sex. She followed his gaze to his bed and shrugged.

"What's the matter Damon, you growing a conscious?" she chortled, easing into her dress.

Damon chuckled low in his throat and shot a glance, "Not a chance. Just figured you'd wanna upgrade from a fuck buddy to girlfriend material and there's plenty of classy fuckboys around campus who'd be willing to put up with your attitude"

"I like fuckboys with more grit than glamour" she smiled, feeling a raw and uncomfortable ache in her throat.

"Atta girl" he winked and slapped a hand to her buttocks as he brushed past her.

"It's a win-win situation isn't it?" Katherine whipped her head around, eyes fixed to his gloriously tight butt.

"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat but I got young minds to destroy with another party tonight"

"You're not supposed to have a party during rush" she said over her shoulder as she gathered her jacket and shoes from his floor among the pile of clothes that seemed to forever decorate his floor. His room held the faint odor of sweaty socks and jock straps but Katherine figured that all the rooms at Kappa Tau Beta smelled like that. In fact she knew for a fact that most of the boy's rooms smelled like day old sweat and beer because she'd slept in so many of them.

"Are you gonna start playing the narc now" he raised an eyebrow, running a gaze over her.

"Who would I tell, the Barbies?" she rolled her brown eyes, raking a hand through her dark curly hair, "They don't even like me."

"Okay. Please go bore someone else with your woes" With his hands firmly on her shoulders, Damon directed her out of his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

"Screw you Damon!" she yelled at his door. When she descended the wooden stairs she was met with raucous applause from the rest of the boys in the fraternity house because they obviously got off on cheering walk of shamers in the morning. Katherine walked out with her head held high and raised her middle finger at her audience.

.

.

Caroline had decided to drive home because she needed the sanctuary of her old bedroom without her sorority sisters sticking their noses into her business with Stefan. She called out for her mother and when she received no response, bounded up the stairs and headed into her old bathroom. Shutting the door firmly behind her, she locked it and then dropped to her knees on the floor, her hands firmly gripping the toilet seat. That empty and lost feeling was creeping into her again and she needed to purge to regain control of her senses and her life. Sticking two fingers into her mouth, she bent over the toilet and spilled out the contents of her stomach. A sob climbed up her throat as her fingers probed her mouth and she couldn't fight it anymore. Caroline allowed herself to cry with tears and vomit running down her chin as she emptied herself of all her emotions. Throwing her head back, she smiled through the tears and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

She felt beautiful and weightless again.

She had cried herself empty by the time her mother came back and was on a mission to drink herself into a half stupor. Caroline looked up from her pink iPhone as her mother marched into the living room area in a yellow sundress dress and patent leather pumps.

"Hi Sweetie, what are you doing here?" Liz slipped off her sunglasses.

"Am I not welcome in my own home anymore? '' She closed her twitter window. _Wasn't it insane that Stefan had already updated his status to read; Stefan misses B? How insensitive could one boy be? Who the heck was B? Did this mean that she had to update her status to say, dumped and miserable?_

"I thought you were hosting girls for rush."

"We are…I am…but I just needed to get away from campus" she waved her mother off and redirected her attention back to her cellphone.

"Honey, you know that being a sorority vice president is a very important job. A lot of girls count on you and when Rebekah passes you her baton you should be ready."

"I know, I'm practically campus royalty"

"Are you curling your hair?' she placed her leather tote on the mahogany table sitting under a Jackson Pollock and approached her daughter.

"I'm wearing it in a ponytail"

"That's...Uh...Interesting," she stammered and offered her a tentative smile before quickly adding, "Why don't you try the beach waves, you always look so fresh and appealing."

"I don't want to look fresh and appealing tonight. "Caroline rolled her eyes, reclining on the toffee velvet sofa and kicked off her Kate Spade pumps.

"Am I missing something, Have you been crying?"

"Stefan dumped me" she blurted. It sounded so brutal when she said it out loud.

"He says he's met someone' Caroline curled her feet underneath her body. Liz stood looking shell-shocked and starred at her daughter.

"How can he just meet someone?" Caroline continued.

"I'm sorry to hear that honey." Her mother took a seat next to her crossing her legs.

"How am I supposed to show my face at school again?" Caroline looked at her apprehensively.

"You'll be fine, you'll meet someone else"

"He's the Brad to my Jennifer."

"There'll be plenty of new boys and you can focus on your ballet again or maybe horse riding and of course there's the sorority."

"No one will ever be like Stefan. I'll die all alone" she cried indignantly.

"You won't die alone; you'll have your cats" her mother chuckled smothering her with a hug. Caroline fought back a smile. How could her mother make jokes at a time like this?

"I hate him" she sniveled, burying herself deeper into her mother's chest.

"I'm going to go and freshen up," her mother kissed her forehead smiling. "You will go back to campus, look fresh and appealing and make those pledges wish that they had your life" she reaffirmed as she walked out, her flowery scent lingering behind.

Caroline sat slumped in the chair checked Stefan's twitter update yet again.

… _Stefan Salvatore is so darn happy rite now, dinner 2nite with adorable B._

Had he not humiliated her enough, when was the insanity going to stop? Who was this other girl? How can she waste an entire evening going to some stupid rush party when she could be trying to figure out the born identity of this horrible B? Tempted to call him, text him, anything to remind him that she still existed, she decided to keep her dignity, a least for a while.

… _Caroline Forbes hates Stefan Salvatore, he can't even kiss. Imbecile!_

 _Five minutes constitutes a while in crazy girl land_. She pondered whether hate was too harsh a word to publish over tweeter but then again, this was the same boy who had chucked her like she was last season's trend. Maybe a little hate mail is just what the doctor ordered, she beamed.

.

.

Bonnie made her way up the blue carpeted aisle, checking for her seat number. She'd insisted on flying economy even though her father thought it would be better for the daughter of a Washington DC senator to fly first class. It was a short flight and she hated to depend on her dad's clout and power. She wanted to blaze her own trail because that's what her mother would have wanted. Pausing in front of a two seater section, she glanced at the empty seat and the boy seated next to it. He had short wind tossed brown hair and gray eyes that rivaled the sea on a foggy morning. Bonnie gave him a curt nod before stowing away her carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment and then ruffled through her backpack for a book. She settled down in the aisle seat next to him and focused on the contents of John Green's latest book.

The sound of the service trolley coming down the aisle jerked her back to the present and she snapped her book shut as she suddenly realized how hungry she had been.

"Chicken or beef?" the flight attendant asked, smiling down at her.

"I don't eat traumatized animals." Bonnie replied simply, pushing her long tousled brown hair back from her face, "I'll have the veggie burger and salad please."

The woman handed her a Styrofoam box with her meal before giving her neighbor his chicken meal.

"What about road kill?" her neighbor asked once the attendant had left their section. He peeled open his box, set his comic book aside and picked at his cold chicken with the tines of his plastic fork.

"Excuse me?" she whipped her head around and glared at him.

"I heard you tell the flight attendant that you don't eat animals. What about road kill, is it also off the menu?" He asked, his smile dimpling his cheeks.

"I see that you're of the mindset that humans need to exploit animals for survival" she snorted, diving back into her meal.

"We are still inherently cavemen" he gave a low, throaty laugh which she hated.

"Your profundity is so stupid, animals have feelings. How would you feel if someone ate your face?" she asked, feeling faint with anger but refusing to look at him.

"You mean like cannibalism or first base?" he chucked, taking in a mouthful of chicken.

"I'm starting to question the evolution of men, starting with your ill-advised choice in jackets." Bonnie's eyebrows bunched together and she studied him closely.

"What's wrong with my jacket?" the boy raised his eyebrows, a mock pout painting his face.

"Did you retrieve it from your school's circa nineties time capsule?" she asked coolly, packing her meal away and retrieving her back pack from under her seat.

"You're a real piece of work." She heard him scoff before she pulled out her iPod from her bag.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his eyes darting between her and the iPod.

"I'm tuning you out" Bonnie said and plugged a pair of ear plugs into her ears then cranked up the music in her iPod. Thankfully it was only a two hour flight to Mystic Falls, she thought as she closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. She didn't notice the smile touching the boy's lips when he flipped through his Marvel comic book.

.

.

"I thought that you were my Chinese food"

"I'm looking for Rebekah" Caroline's brows pinched as she breezed past him, her chin thrust out.

"And you thought my sister would be hiding out at Alpha Zeta Pi?" Klaus raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Plotting your rise to the throne, Klaus?" she retorted, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"You can always plot with me, love. Our schemes would make for great pillow talk" he smirked and stopped short of cupping her chin with his hand but lifted his eyes to hers instead, "Not that there'll that much talking"

"Au contraire, I think your many sexual inadequacies might make for great pillow talk." A pink flush crept up her cheeks but she defied it by looking directly at him.

"I hope you're liberal enough to discuss your own shortcomings"

"I'm Caroline Forbes, I have no shortcomings"

"You shouldn't be afraid to let the world see your weaknesses Caroline" his voice softened as he crept closer to her.

"Enough" flustered, she waved him off and squared her shoulders," When you do see your sister, tell her that I'm looking for her."

"Anything for you, princess"

.

.

.

"Are we seriously considering her as a pledge?"

"Her father is a senator" Caroline caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she scrolled down her tablet. She resized the picture of a mocha skinned girl in a yellow bikini and made it larger. This Bonnie Bennett was petite, reasonably attractive and would fit in like a dream at Gamma Phi Beta. Caroline really had nothing to worry about but still with Stefan gone she vowed to throw herself into this new task. She would spread the cheer, win Bonnie Bennett and cement her status as Campus royalty.

"But she's a geek not to mention radical. She's a radical Peta freak who screams fur is murder at New York's fashion week" Lexi cried, peering over Caroline's shoulder. Rolling her blue eyes, Caroline shot Lexi a glance then looked down at the tablet again.

"You know her?" Liv leaned closer, studying the picture with narrowed eyes.

"Liv, this is Gamma Phi Beta, we do our homework." Caroline tossed her another glance, her eyes afire with frustration. She heaved a sigh, tossing her blonde hair back over her shoulder before getting back to examining Bonnie's flaws.

"It's like watching the Titanic sink all over again" Lexi jolted Caroline from her militant task and prompted her to look up from the tablet. Katherine filled the doorway, a leather jacket tossed over her shoulder and a short dress encasing her curves. Caroline truly felt sorry for her because apart from looking boozed out and worn out, it was the brunette's third walk of shame in the past two weeks.

"Or a car crash, you just can't look away." Liv clicked her tongue, pushing her wild blonde curls off her face to trail Katherine's long legs with her blue eyes.

"You smell like Kappa Tau Beta, maybe you should've pledged Sigma Gamma Rho because that's where your kind belongs" Caroline added as she rose from the couch. She was quite in awe of Katherine's brazen attitude. Was she not afraid to get arrested in that dress? Campus police could even mistake her for a prostitute, the mere thought alone made Caroline's heart race.

"And what's my kind, slut?" Katherine tossed them a grin as she sauntered into the study lounge in her ice-pick sharp heels.

"If the crown fits" Lexi said defiantly, arms crossed against her chest.

"Yeah, pity Gamma Phi Beta found my daddy's oil money so attractive" Katherine sighed and paused to give them a once over before strolling past them to the stairs that led up to the girl's bedrooms.

.

.

.

When they landed at the airport, it was already uncomfortably hot and Bonnie had to strip off her jacket, remaining only with a green jersey tank top and a pair of tattered jeans. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she scanned the crowd for her boyfriend. A slight panic rose in her chest and then she saw him in all his bronzed and gorgeous glory. She raced to him, dropping her bags in the process and jumped into his arms nearly crushing his chest. Stefan pulled her into his arms and lifted her off the ground until her legs were wrapped around his waist.

"Hello, boyfriend." She said huskily, her fingers skimming the nape of his neck until they entwined into his messy, brown hair. Stefan's warm green eyes traced her face as a big smile spread across his face.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls, Bonbon." He whispered before his mouth moved over hers and smiled into the kiss when her breath caught from the sensation of his lips.

~~~~oOo~~~~

 _A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this!_


	2. Fools Rush In

.

"So this is your bedroom?" Bonnie asked, looking up at the posters adorning the walls. She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and examined the posters a tad bit closer. One side of the room was decorated with a life-sized poster of the great Houdini and other black and white pictures of Edgar Allen Poe. The other wall was decked with posters of a football team and a framed football jersey with logos from various teams. She cast her eyes down at the two single beds and chewed on her lower lip as if trying to ascertain which side of the room he slept in. Stefan rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and followed her green eyes as they examined the room. He was actually grateful that Aaron had thought to tidy up the place before he left because he knew how he and Liam liked to commiserate over their love-lorn lives in his room.

"Is that a hair dryer?" Bonnie asked, startling him. She took two strides and moved to the small study desk to pick up the metallic object. Stefan winced and prayed that she didn't open his drawer because the last time he checked that's where he and Aaron kept their hair gels.

"So that's how you get your hero hair." She chuckled, glancing at him over her shoulder. Stefan straightened his back and ran a hand through his hair.

"That belongs to my roommate." He smiled sheepishly, feeling the blush creep into his cheeks.

"Who's your roommate?"

"Aaron Whitmore."

"As in Whitmore College?"

"Yup. He's also an Alpha Zeta Pi legacy."

With furrowed eyebrows, she advanced toward him, "What's a legacy?"

"His father and his grandfather were Alpha Zeta Pi." Stefan explained, watching as she planted her hands on his shoulders. Pressing her lips tightly together, she lifted her eyes and narrowed them at him.

"Are you also a legacy?" she asked, biting her lower lip.

"Yes. Marcel Gerard only accepts the best pledges after all."

"You know I never got the appeal for Greek life and sororities. They always seemed vapid to me." Her hands moved down his t-shirt, splaying them across his chest before fisting the material. Stefan's gaze dropped to her questing hand and the attempt to seduce him in his bedroom. His eyes darted to the door and he tried to remember if he had locked it or not. He'd waited weeks to make love to her and had often fantasized about what it would finally be like to feel her skin against his.

"And yet you're rushing a sorority tonight?" Stefan's hand slid under her Tank top, his fingers cool against her heated flesh. He wondered if she was wearing a bra because she really didn't need one. She was much less endowed than Caroline but he liked her breasts nonetheless. Jeez, he needed to get out of his head and focus on the moment. He shook his head, his trembling hands tracing the underside of her breasts. He felt the smooth, warm cotton under his fingertips and smiled.

"That's just part of my bullshit college experience. I 'm doing a college bucket list." Bonnie hummed, her hands now feeling for his zipper.

"Would a heavy make out session in my room constitute as part of your bucket list?" Stefan's thick brows furrowed. He was alert to every movement now, every hitch of her breath and the tingle of his skin under her finger pads.

Lifting his shirt, she pressed her cold palm against his quivering stomach muscles, "Hmm…I guess we could check that off my list."

"Are you ready to serve it to me piping hot?" she asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

"You don't even need any reservations." Stefan cocked his head and smiled.

"I am strangely hungry right now." She purred, her breath quivering against his lips.

"Oh yeah?"

"No I mean actually hungry…like for actual food." She chuckled lightly, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"Bon, if you're not ready I understand. I want to remember being with you for the rest of my life. I want it to be special."

"Wow, that's heavy…I mean we've only known each other for a month and technically we only spent two weeks together in the Maldives." She smirked, preening his t-shirt with her hands.

"That doesn't change the fact that you make my heart race. It doesn't change the fact that I've fallen in love with you." He snagged her left hand and placed it on his chest so that she could feel the beat of his heart. With light from the window illuminating her brown hair, Stefan marvelled at her heart-shaped face and her beauty. Tracing her cheek with his fingers, he inched closer to her and before she could say anything, claimed her mouth with his. They broke the kiss to look at each other and Stefan opened his mouth to say something but the peal of her phone made her spring back from his embrace. Wordlessly, she rifled through her bag and pulled out her cell phone.

"It's my dad." She said, meeting his gaze.

"You should get it." Stefan cleared his throat, pulling his shirt back over his head. The moment was gone, he thought as he swallowed his disappointment. It wasn't really a matter of wanting to make love to her because clearly she wasn't ready but still he wanted to feel like she belonged to him and only him. Meeting a gorgeous girl in the Maldives who just happened to have been accepted at Whitmore was nothing if not serendipitous especially with everything he had been going through with Caroline.

"No. I'll call him back later; it's probably just his secretary trying to find out if I arrived safely." Bonnie shrugged and dropped the phone back into her bag, muffling its shrill sound.

Clapping his hands together, he plastered a smile on his face and tried to sound cheerful, "Okay before we crash some crazy fraternity party let's go get you settled into your dorm."

"You would take me to a fraternity party swarming with hot, sexy boys?" she laughed as he threw an arm around her shoulder, swinging the door open.

"Do I strike you as the jealous type?" Stefan chuckled softly and rested his chin on her head, before smelling her lustrous hair.

With her arm wrapped around his waist, she bumped her hip against his, "You strike me as a boy who likes a girl."

"Good answer, besides the guy-girl ratio will always work to my favor. This is college remember."

.

.

"Where have you been?" Caroline cried abandoning the flower arrangement she had been preening over to rush to Rebekah, "My life is practically falling apart and my bestfriend is nowhere to be found!"

"Don't be so dramatic. Is this about rush?" Rebekah scoffed, looking strangely irritable. She scanned the room with girls in a panic as they prepared for the rushees tonight.

"No it's about Stefan breaking up with me." Caroline countered, hardly able to hear herself think with all the commotion.

"Its sad but you two were mismatched, you can do much better than Stefan Salvatore. Rebekah shrugged and guzzled the rest of her Starbucks coffee.

"Better than Stefan, what's better than Stefan Salvatore?" Caroline pouted, wrinkling her nose at the other blonde.

"You really love playing the damsel in distress don't you?" Rebekah looked her up and down then shook her head.

"Stefan was a dreadful bore with all that relentless brooding, you'll get over him. Just ask Jesus to take the wheel." Rebekah replied, flicking her gaze back at the elegant decorations.

"That's easy for you to say, you have the memory of a goldfish." Caroline shot a glare at her friend because she was acting like a cow this afternoon, "You don't have relationships, you have flirtationships. What I have with Stefan is real."

"I don't like relationships, too much drama and it's what you had with Stefan, past tense. Oh and the next time you go stalking me, do me a favor and don't run to Alpha Zeta Pi. I don't want to make it glaringly obvious to my brother that I'm fucking his best friend." she sashayed out of the crowded room, bouncing her golden locks.

.

.

Stefan angled his car into a small parking space as they pulled up next to Bonnie's new dormitory. She heaved a sigh, her nerves jangling and helped her boyfriend with her bags. She was finally here in Mystic Falls, the same town her mother grew up before moving out to DC and meeting her father. She wondered which dorm her mother had stayed in.

"You okay?" Stefan asked, jerking her from her thoughts. She smiled dutifully and pecked his cheek to assure him that she was indeed fine. Once inside the dorm, Bonnie looked down at her room assignment sheet then at the room numbers on the doors. When they finally found the correct door, Stefan tapped the wood and a short while later the door flew open, blaring music drifting out into the busy hallway. A small brown haired girl holding a turkey sandwich in her right hand greeted them and signalled them to enter the microscopic room. Turning the music down, she placed the sandwich on a plate sitting on her study desk and brushed crumbs off her dress.

"You must be my roommate." She mumbled, placing a hand over her mouth before she swallowed.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie" Bonnie smiled, thrusting out her hand.

"Elena Gilbert" she said, darting her gaze between Bonnie and Stefan while she shook Bonnie's hand.

"Stefan Salvatore." He nodded and offered her his hand.

Elena tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and grinned at him "Hi."

"I better head out, will you be okay?" he directed his attention back to Bonnie and set her bags on top of the bed.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Text me when you're done with rush so we can go out for dinner." He traced a finger down her jaw, cupping her chin before opening his arms wide to her.

"I like the sound of that." Bonnie smiled easily, melting into the hug.

"Bye." He said, letting her go and nodded to Elena before he opened the door.

"Bye." Bonnie and Elena said in unison and watched the door close behind him.

"You're from Washington DC" Elena said as soon as Stefan left.

"Yup. What about you?"

"Right here, Mystic Falls." She shrugged and picked her sandwich back up from the plate.

"So you're rushing a sorority tonight?" Elena asked again, her mouth poised over the bread.

"Yes. What about you?"

"Yeah, I got my letters of recommendation right here," she patted a drawer with her hand, "You obviously don't need them because you're a senator's daughter."

"Shhh…not so loud, I have a reputation to protect." Bonnie chuckled, plopping down on her small bed. Jerking open the door to her bed side table, she checked the size of the space and wondered if she could pile her books inside it.

"This is gonna be so much fun." Elena said, finally tearing into her sandwich.

.

.

The servers carried trays of champagne as they weaved around the crowd and Caroline snatched a flute, taking a big hearty gulp. She pulled at her white strapless dress and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Tonight she couldn't keep her head straight, she just couldn't focus, and her world had literally fallen apart. She wondered if this was how Jen felt after that Mr. & Mrs. Smith disaster. She wasn't in the mood for the social. What she needed was a warm candle lit bubble bath, a much needed tub of Ben & Jerry ice cream and her laptop. She had to know who B was. She had to know the name of this nobody who had suddenly catapulted her popularity by dating Stefan. This is why celebrities had PR teams and assistants; it would have been much easier to delegate the B project.

She was still contemplating her dilemma when Rebekah swept into the room clad in a bronze brocade dress with Lexi and Liv Parker following closely behind her.

"I love the first semester. It always feels so cleansing." Rebekah stated, tossing her flaxen hair over her shoulder and the rest of the girls nodded in unison. The rest of the girls gathered around the staircase listening to her speech.

"Remember, no discussing boys, religion, politics or sex with the rushees. We have a reputation to uphold." Rebekah addressed them, her hands flying to her hips.

"Caroline, your job tonight is to land the senator's daughter, Bonnie Bennett." She pointed at Caroline who nodded vehemently.

"I'm on it." Caroline grinned, squaring her shoulders.

"I expect nothing less from you. There is no room for error on this one."

.

.

Bonnie strolled past towering flower arrangements, her eyes swinging up to take in the crystal chandelier suspended from the ornate ceiling. The cocktails flowed while the sorority sisters interviewed the pledges and her cheeks already ached from smiling too much. After her second glass of champagne, she needed an escape. She pulled out her phone from her clutch and scrolled down the screen to Stefan's name.

"I'll be right back." She told some redhead who had cornered her for ten minutes to discuss the merits of pledging Gamma Phi Beta. Her eyes honed in on the open French doors leading out into the terrace and she could see a forest of drooping trees thick with gray Spanish moss. Bonnie started toward the open doors but stopped short when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder.

"You must Bonnie Bennett. I'm Caroline Forbes, vice president of Gamma Phi Beta." She stuck out her hand for a handshake and Bonnie obliged.

"Nice meeting you." The brunette said, her green eyes taking in the blonde who looked prim and angelic with her curls and her sparkly white teeth.

"Are you having fun?" Caroline asked, leading her back into the crowd.

"The best." Bonnie lied.

"We do a lot of philanthropy work and they're usually centred on animal shelters and hospices." Caroline blurted, her words running into each other but Bonnie was no longer paying any attention because something unexpected was in her line of vision. She crept closer to the rows of pictures decorating one pastel wall.

"Is something wrong?" Caroline called behind her.

"That's my mother." Bonnie said, her voice raw as she pointed to one of the pictures on the wall.

"Your mother was Gamma Phi Beta?" Caroline asked and walked up to stand next to her, clasping her hands in front of her the way pageant or debutante girls always did.

"It would seem so" Bonnie response was distracted as she leaned closer to the photo of a young beautiful woman with perfectly coifed raven hair and a silver necklace. She looked down at her chest and groped the same necklace that her mother was wearing in the picture.

"Congratulations, you're a legacy." Caroline said cheerfully forcing Bonnie to glimpse back at her.

"Uh…thanks." She responded.

"I'm also a legacy. My mother and my nana were both Gamma Phi Beta." The blonde said following Bonnie's hand to the necklace resting on her chest.

"Care!" someone called behind them prompting Caroline to turn her head around. She grasped Bonnie's shoulder and told her that she would be right back. Bonnie focused her attention back to the picture on the wall and she reached out her hand to touch the glass. The idea that her mother had lived this sorority life intrigued and excited her. It had been six years since Abby's passing but there was not a day that went by that she didn't think about her.

"I see you've met the Barbies and their minions."

Bonnie pivoted around, her hand still resting on the necklace to look at the new intruder.

"Hi, I'm Katherine Pierce."

"Bonnie Bennett."

"So, you're the political princess."

"Is that my new name?"

"Oh yeah, that's what they're calling you behind your back."

"And what's your trope, rebellious princess?" Bonnie arched a brow, giving the girl a short club-dress once over.

"No but bitch will do just fine." Katherine smiled, crossing her arms against her chest.

Returning her smile, Bonnie gave a nod and said "Then bitch it is."

"There's a party at Kappa Tau Beta if you want to join me. Lots of hot, naked frat boys and loads of tequila body shots." Katherine said when they started walking toward the exit.

"As exciting as that sounds I have a dinner date with my boyfriend."

"First day and she already has a boyfriend. I thought I was ambitious."

"Rain check?"

"Guess this means more hotties for me tonight"

"Have fun." Bonnie said as she stepped over the threshold. She heard a dissonance of dins from a number of cell phones as she left and felt a shift from inside the house and from the girls standing outside on the terrace.

A few of the girls looked up at her as she passed them and whispered to each other. Every time the phone dinged, a girl would stare right at her and pass a comment to her friend.

Bonnie tried to shake off the eerie feeling that the messages were about her, she needed to get back to her dorm and get ready for her dinner date with Stefan.

.

.

"How about a beer?" Damon tossed his younger brother a smirk, "I heard about your situation with Blondie."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Stefan picked up a white Styrofoam cup rimmed with red lipstick then set it back down on the table. When he whipped back around, Damon stretched out his hand and handed him a fresh paper cup filled with beer.

"Klaus know about your party?" Stefan asked, examining the frothy contents of the red container before touching its rim to his lips.

"It's a secret party, Stefan." Damon smirked, motioning to the girls clad in skin-tight daisy dukes sprinkling dustings of salt on their exposed bits so that they could do body shots. Stefan peeled his gaze away from them, past the fraternity boys bobbing for apples in beer filled containers, the group involved in a feverish game of arm-wrestle and finally to the Sigma Gamma Rho girls led by Vicky Donovan, the vice-president of the sorority house and an inebriated Valerie Tulle.

"You wanna try a body shot?" Damon pointed at some random girl lying on a table with a group of frat boys licking salt off the body and taking a wedge of lime from her lips with their mouths.

"Oh wait, that would be considered cheating and we know how self-righteous you are brother."

Stefan's phone chimed and he retrieved it from his pocket, scrolling down to check his messages.

"You better answer the hero's call to adventure." Damon snorted, "But then again call me crazy but this party seems way more titillating than whoever is at the end of that phone call."

"You haven't met Bonnie." Stefan shrugged with a smile and flicked a glance ta his brother before dropping his gaze back down to his phone. He tensed as his eyes ran over the message.

"It's not a message from Bonnie, "he looked up at Damon's ice-blue eyes, "It's a Burn-book blast."

.

.

"Klaus Mikaelson, pretender to the throne." Caroline slurred a greeting, her blue eyes raking over Klaus's form in a dishevelled looking parka jacket, tee-shirt and jeans.

"Drowning your sorrows, love?" he raised his voice over the loud music and inched closer to her.

"Drinking to drown one's sorrows is for pathetic losers like you." Caroline sneered, her gaze flitting back to the barman behind the bar.

"They say the surest cure for vanity is loneliness…but you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Klaus said calmly.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked. She shrugged as a form of a non-committal response and looked back at her glass, examining its contents before picking it up. Klaus beckoned the barman as he slid into the bar stool next to hers.

"Scotch on the rocks, please." He ordered then looked back at her, "May I say how charming you look this evening?"

When she said nothing, he continued, "Now, what can I say to rescue this damsel in distress?"

"What do you want, Klaus?" her voice was low, throaty but she didn't look up at him.

"I'm simply seeking some amusement and a drink" Klaus's eyes lingered on her lips.

"At the Whitmore Grill?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Don't you have some Alpha Zeta Pi party to attend?" she spat, stealing another heated glance at him.

"I'd rather attend to you tonight, love. Anything else you fancy?" he gestured to her empty glass.

"More whisky." She pointed, looking up from the glass.

"I heard about you and Stefan. The guy's a fool for letting you go."

"I'm the fool, I actually put in a bid to the girl he left me for. I asked _the other_ _woman_ to join my sorority."

"Oh wait, you've probably already seen the Burn Book." She whipped out her phone and scrolled down to the blast then read it aloud to him.

" _That awkward moment when your rushee is hooking up with your ex-boyfriend. Sorry Care-Bear but Political Princesses trump Barbies any given rush day…anonymous._ "

"Yeah, I saw the blast." He admitted.

Finally knowing the born identity of the infamous B didn't have the effect that Caroline had predicted. She thought she would have been content just knowing but this revelation complicated matters even more.

"Look at it this way, should she accept your bid then you have the right to make her life a living hell when she's a pledge."

"You're smarter than you look." She told Klaus although it pained her to admit it.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Do you think she's an upgrade, I'm talking about the girl Stefan dumped me for?" she asked, her lips forming a pout.

"She's a senator's daughter and she's really pretty." She explained with a shrug.

" _You're_ really pretty, " Klaus leaned closer, his mouth barely touching her flushed ear, "in fact dare I say, you're beautiful."

"Said the Alpha Zeta Pi Grinch." Caroline's cheeks burned at his complement and she downed her glass in three swallows to appease the growing knot in her throat.

"You're much more than a spoiled debutante, you know that right?" he said softly and she tensed, her eyes drifting down to his lips and his incredible dimples. A scream from one of the sorority girls holding a corner booth punctuated the air, interrupting the thick silence between them and whatever her stupid brain was starting to think about Klaus Mikaelson. They both snapped their heads around to look at the cause for the sudden commotion but realized that it was just a bunch of drunken girls sporting pink t-shirts with their Greek letters. They looked like they were having fun. When her gaze flitted back to him, she found his hand hovering over hers. Caroline stilled, staring at him over the rim of her glass. Slowly, he withdrew his hand without touching her and cleared his throat before taking another swig from his glass.

She felt a pang of something she didn't recognise and rolled her eyes, "Don't worry I wouldn't dream of ruining your reputation by telling anyone you actually had a heart."

"May I join you?" Hayley's big hazel-green eyes darted between the two of them. She had startled both of them, Caroline could tell by the twitch of muscle on Klaus's jaw and they shared a questioning look before directing their attention back to Hayley.

"My date is apparently a no show." She snapped, obviously oblivious as to what she had interrupted or not interrupted. Sweeping both hands through her thick dark hair, she slid into a chair next to Klaus. Caroline had always found the Sigma Gamma Rho president to be one of the most beautiful girls on campus even though she wasn't supposed to like her because of the rivalry between her and Rebekah but tonight she didn't need to be reminded about Hayley's beauty especially since she was loosing control of her own life.

"Hmm, wonder who would want to stand you up?" Klaus's lips edged into a smug smile but his eyes stayed focused on Caroline.

"That makes two of us." Hayley grinned, ignoring Klaus's sarcasm and tossed her bag on the counter. She signalled for the bartender and ordered a double shot of tequila. Caroline smiled tightly through the ensuing banter between the three of them and tossed another glass of whiskey down her raw throat but she was too wrapped up in her own stress to have a good time. There was also the issue of not wanting to upset Bekah by hanging out with her biggest rival. She rose from her chair and reached out for her bag.

"Going somewhere?" he asked anxiously, leaning forward toward her.

"I'm calling it a night." Caroline said, pulling out several bills from her purse and tossing them on the counter. She moved before he could say another word and weaved through the small clusters of intoxicated students.

She needed to get back to her room, binge on a packet of tortilla chips, a bar of chocolate and the Oreo cookies hiding under her bed. She'd be okay after that, right as rain after purging.

.

…

 _A/N: Thanks so much for the follows and the reviews my lovelies (heart eyes)…I'll be mixing a few tropes and possibly scenes from my fav shows in this fic. The only GG reference will probably be the Burn Book but it's not Gossip Girl but rather an anonymous app or site where random people or students post stuff. I'll also allude to Mean Girls and the show Greek now and then…Happy reading…  
_


	3. Defending your Honor

.

Bonnie was too distracted to enjoy the warm sultry evening and too puzzled about the attention she was receiving from the rest of the students to notice the magnolia scent in the muggy air. Sure, as Rudy Hopkins' daughter she was used to getting attention because it came with the territory but this felt different. There were no cameras flashing in her face, no reporters shouting her name and no gossip sites linking her with the son of a fortune five hundred CEO or the son of Florida's Governor but she still felt eyes crawling all over her skin. The students were judging her just like Washington judged everyone because over there it was all about the right private school, right college, right job and connections because being you just wasn't enough. Bonnie was pretty sure that her dad had already signed a marriage contract for her to marry an MBA grad student who's father owned a profitable hedge fund. Growing up in DC had been like growing up inside a glass house, she always felt so exposed and just this once she had hoped for things to be different.

It seemed as though normality was the last thing she'd find at Whitmore. When she walked into her co-ed dormitory she drew a couple of eyes as she made her way down the hall to her room and briefly returned their stares before she dived into the sanctuary of her room. Startled at seeing Elena already inside the room, she placed a hand on her chest as a gasp tore through her lips.

"Thought you were still out rushing" Bonnie said, shaking her head. She opened her mouth to explain further but the look of bewilderment on Elena's face and the fact that she had one hand behind her back alerted her that her roommate was possibly hiding something from her. She took a few steps toward Elena, arms crossed against her chest.

"What have you got there?" Bonnie asked, lifting a questioning eyebrow. Slowly Elena unfurled from her Indian-style sitting position and put the laptop that had been lying on her lap aside. She climbed from the bed, her sweatshirt falling off her shoulder and bit her lower lip. She furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes looking anxiously at Bonnie.

"Its just stuff about you and Stefan but it's no big deal." She explained, sliding her sweatshirt back into place.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie asked tightly, trying to understand exactly what Elena was saying.

"It's the Burn Book. It's a stupid app where they run all these ridiculous stories about students."

"Like a social media thing?"

"Yeah, it's a gossip app."

"Great." Bonnie let out a breath, raking a hand through her hair. She couldn't run away from scrutiny, wherever she went, it would always be there.

"It lists the rank, family genealogy, privilege and net-worth of every student on campus. Then there's the juicy gossip."

"Okay I don't really need the mechanics of the thing, what does it say about me and Stefan?"

"Here, take a look for yourself." Elena said, handing her the cell phone she'd been hiding behind her back. Gingerly, Bonnie took the phone and read the text slowly taking in each and every word.

' _That awkward moment when your rushee is hooking up with your ex-boyfriend. Sorry Care-Bear but Political Princesses trump Barbies any given rush day…anonymous.'_

"Shit. So Stefan was dating Caroline?" Bonnie's eyes widened, darting between Elena's face and the phone in her hand.

"You didn't know?"

"Yes Elena I knew, I planned this whole elaborate scheme to seduce Stefan in the Maldives so I can rub it in Caroline's face and take over the campus as the new queen bee." Bonnie sighed, rolling her eyes as she handed Elena her phone back.

"Right, I'm sorry." Elena waved off her doubts with her hand, "Anyway you two look good together. Stefan looks happy. I'm glad you two found each other."

"Right place, right time." Bonnie admitted reluctantly. The blood was still pounding in her temples and the whole scene was making her rather uncomfortable. She hated discussing her private life with strangers and right now after just meeting Elena, she fell into the stranger category.

"I'm pretty sure that Caroline thinks you stole him from her." Elena shrugged, reading Bonnie's reaction carefully.

Exasperated, Bonnie turned to her side of the closet and replied "Well I didn't, not intentionally anyway."

She was tired of talking about this situation because discussing this with her roommate felt like an interview and Bonnie had learnt to keep her guard up when it came to interviews and the media.

"Look, "Elena began but was interrupted by a soft tap on the door. Bonnie spun around, her hair swinging behind her and glared at the door. She knew it would be Stefan; she didn't need a crystal ball to predict that he'd show up to try and explain himself.

Elena did the honours of opening the door while Bonnie merely stared as Stefan stood at the door. Bonnie could tell that he'd been drinking, not that she minded because after two glasses of champagne at Gamma Phi Beta she felt sure that she needed more champagne.

Better make that tequila, she quickly thought because they had nothing to celebrate after the Caroline revelation.

"Hi Stefan" Elena greeted him, her hand resting on the door knob. With a slight nod and barely a glance in her direction, Stefan locked eyes with Bonnie and his lips edged into a faint smile.

"Can we talk?" he asked with a flicker of hope in his eyes. She hesitated, stealing a glance at Elena before snagging her jacket from the bed. She paused at the door, waiting for him to step aside and let her through. Stefan seemed to be of two minds, caught between holding her or stepping aside, sense worn over his heart and he gave Bonnie the room she needed to walk out of the room without his interference. They barely head Elena's good-byes as they strolled down the hall. There were still students around and the passage was abuzz with voices with some students even daring to point at the couple.

"How am I supposed to just go out on a date with you with all this weirdness around us?" Bonnie asked, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because you need to eat and Augustine's has great food. We can even order Mexican beer and fried plantains." He teased, daringly wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Bonnie heaved a sigh and tried to shake him off her shoulder but he relented.

"I didn't plan this; I didn't expect to meet you." He said when she turned to him with her fiery green eyes. Avoiding her stare, Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and shook his head.

"I should have told you about Caroline. "He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You should have." She challenged.

"I…I didn't because I didn't think it was an issue."

"You know what, let's forget dinner. My brother's invited me to this late night thing. One of his frat brothers is playing down at Tryst and it might be better than sitting through a tense dinner."

"You really wanna take me to a club called Tryst in light of all the drama between us right now?"

"A, it's a bar not club and B, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Caroline but I didn't want to burden you with a life I knew I was no longer a part of. Care is my past and you're here."

"I'm your present." Bonnie snorted, her eyes mingled with amusement.

"Exactly." He smiled in response.

"So where is this bar?" she conceded, a smile creeping into her face. She told herself that Stefan was not out of the woods yet but she figured they needed a bit of underage drinking to forget about today's events.

"Off-campus. Come on, we'll have a blast and you can finally meet my reptile of a brother."

.

.

Caroline stuck her hand inside her bag and retrieved a bottle of Prozac she'd stolen from her mother's medicine cabinet. She could take one happy pill and dull everything around her, she thought wistfully. She hated feeling sorry for herself, hated being this pathetic loser who could not even find the willpower to get off her ass and do something about Stefan and this Bonnie character.

She heard voices come up the stairway and had just enough time to stash the bottle of pills before someone knocked on her door. Before she could tell the intruders to enter, Rebekah and Lexi were waltzing into her room wearing their sweatpants and tank tops with the house's Greek letters.

"I heard those little skanks at Sigma Gamma Rho plan to take Bonnie camping." Bekah huffed, plopping down on Caroline's bed while Lexi settled into the chair below the window.

"Eeuw, who the hell would want to go camping?" Caroline rolled her eyes, giving both girls a lukewarm chuckle.

"This is no typical camp you idiot, Valeri's father practically owns a Camp David country retreat, incidentally its fashioned after the presidential one and it's also close to Washington DC." Rebekah frowned, looking at Caroline like she had three heads.

Her mouth flying open, Caroline asked "They're flying her out to a country retreat?"

"Great, you finally get it. I mean you've been to one of those or was that just fat camp with your mom?" Rebekah laughed, casting a glance at Lexi who joined the laughter at Caroline's expense. This was not cool, Caroline thought; she was loosing her clout faster than one could say fail.

Feeling stupid and ridiculed, Caroline snapped back "It's called a diet retreat and that was ages ago"

Rebekah simply hit her with one of the pillows on the bed and continued enjoying herself at Caroline's expenditure.

In an effort to regain her power, Caroline asked "How are they flying her out there, on a broomstick?"

"They'll probably ask Aaron for his family jet or even your ex-boyfriend or did you forget that Stefan's daddy dearest owns an airline?" Lexi arched a patronizing eyebrow at Caroline.

"Oh, I think I just heard Caroline's little heart break." Rebekah remarked with a mock pout before breaking out into raucous laughter.

.

.

"Who's that?" Bonnie asked, gesturing with her chin toward the band on the stage. Stefan followed her gaze to a guy belting out his raspy lyrics into the mike; one hand caressed the stand before he focused on his guitar. His fingers manipulated the strings, strumming out a haunting tune that seemed to struck emotions in some of the bar patrons because they paused, beers poised over their mouths to listened to his powerful riffs.

"That's Enzo, he's Damon's buddy."

"He's good." She nodded, tapping her fingers on her jean clad thighs. Taking another swig from her beer bottle, she allowed the music and the crowd to move her, allowed the smoky haze in the bar to make her forget about her immediate problems. Stepping even closer to her, Stefan nudged her elbow with his and pointed his beer bottle at a stranger who was weaving his way through a knotted crowd as he approached the two of them. Bonnie's eyes zeroed in on the stranger, her gaze roaming over his dark unruly hair, blue eyes, black t-shirt and his low slung jeans. She met his eyes and her stomach muscles clenched.

"Bonnie this is Damon." Stefan said, gesturing to the stranger with a set of impossibly blue eyes.

"So this is the home-wrecker Bonnie," Damon responded, his mouth quirking into a half smile. His eyes travelled the length of her, lingering purposefully on her cleavage before gliding back to her face.

"And this is the inglorious bastard, Damon." Bonnie thrust her chin, cocking an eyebrow. She was fully aware of what he was trying to do and did not like it one bit.

"Hey Washington, you sure you can survive in this small town abyss?" Damon asked, taking a swing of his beer.

"What, you don't think this fish bowl is big enough for the two of us?" she asked. She had the strange sensation that Damon wanted to step closer to her and when he did just that she wasn't surprised.

"How does it feel to be the villain? You have upset the very delicate emotional balance of the campus." He said, inches away from her face.

"Are you going to be the new itch on my ass?" she hissed back. If he thought he was going to bully her by playing the big man on campus he had another thing coming to him.

"Hmm I don't like her very much, brother." Slowly, he turned to Stefan and smirked.

"Ditto." Bonnie snarled then threw her head back to guzzle the rest of her beer.

After a few amiable exchanges between the brothers, Damon walked off to drink and play pool with his friends.

Turning to her with a guilty smile on his face, Stefan asked "So what do you really think of my brother?"

"I think he's the type to name his private parts." Bonnie offered, signalling the bartender for another round with her fake I.D card already in her hand in case the barman gave her any trouble.

.

.

In the morning, Elena and Bonnie received their bid letters and as she pulled open the letter from Gamma Phi Beta she was of two minds. The fact that her mother had once belonged to Gamma Phi Beta swayed her decision in their favor even though it meant dealing with Caroline on a daily basis.

She lugged her backpack and her camera because she wanted to be that geek who captured every stupid moment of the first week of College for her father. He would probably not even view the video but she wanted to make it regardless.

Bonnie's eyes flitted to the oak trees looming above her and the white sneakers thrown over the trees. She inhaled the crisp morning air; she liked the weather when it was like this before the muggy heat took over. She was zooming in on a cluster of pigeons that were roosting on a sculpture in the campus square when someone obstructed her vision. Looking up from her small video camera, she waved at the stranger and smiled.

"I'm shooting a documentary. You got anything interesting to say?" she teased, ruffling her hair with her hand.

"Chicken or beef?" the guy simply said, a smug smile playing across his lips.

Bonnie searched her mind trying to recollect where she'd seen him before. Then it all came back, he was her neighbour from the Washington DC flight.

"Ah, it's Captain America!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes at him.

"You still toting around your Marvel comic books?" she asked and it was his turn to scoff at her remark. She noticed that he was wearing an atrocious t-shirt with a Spider-man logo.

"I must admit, the camera loves you." She pulled his leg and pointed to his geeky shirt.

"Who are you?" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Bonnie Bennett."

"You're a film student?"

"Actually I'm a Political science major."

"Ah…I feel sorry for you"

"And you are?"

"Kai Parker."

"And what's your major?"

"Undeclared."

"Non committal." She said with a snort.

"Why did you come to Whitmore, to lose yourself or to find yourself?" he chuckled, shaking his head. She dropped her gaze back to the camera in her hands and said nothing.

"Remember, college is about following your passion" with a sweep of his arm, he indicated to the entire campus before stalking off to his classes. Bonnie briefly stood there and watched him walk away before she followed suit. She was on route to her second class when she bumped into the last person she wanted to see on campus.

"I hear you got bids from both Gamma Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho." Caroline began, her eyes drifting from Bonnie's black combat boots to the gray beanie covering hair.

"Yeah, it makes me feel like such a special snowflake." Bonnie responded as she took in Caroline's oxblood jeans and salmon pink shirt.

"Just remember, no one likes a Mary Sue." Caroline simpered, cocking her head to one side.

With a smirk, Bonnie replied "Oh as if you haven't relished in unicorn glitter and pearls all semester."

"This isn't about bids or pledging, is it? This is about Stefan." The brunette quickly added. She could feel the change in the air because there were already a few students pausing to view the show.

"I get it; he's your freaking Dawson. You guys probably hung out all day to brood over your super introspectiveness and here comes Bonnie-stinking-Bennett to kill your buzz. I'm not the enemy here, I'm-"

Caroline quickly cut Bonnie off and smiled "You know what you do with summer flings? You leave them on the island. You don't pack them in your Louis Vuitton luggage with your Chanel scandals. They stay behind. "

"And yet here I am." Bonnie countered, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Just like the chlamydia Lexi brought with her from Ibiza that one summer." Caroline responded, her eyes flitting to their growing audience.

"Did you just call me a sexually transmitted disease?" Bonnie's eyes grew wider and she closed the gap between the two of them.

"Look I'm sure you're a nice girl but right now you're my problem." Caroline admitted and stood her ground.

"Here's the thing, I still love Stefan."

"How awkward for you." Bonnie said coolly then stepped into her class, leaving Caroline out in the corridor. She scanned the room then slid into a seat in the centre row before turning around to steal a glimpse toward the door. She found Caroline still standing there; jaw clenched and a frown marring her pretty face. Bonnie was tempted to wave or give her apparent new foe a triumphant grin but it didn't feel right. Instead, she took out her books and felt the crisp paper between her fingers. A buzz floated around the class room when the professor walked in and Bonnie looked up from her book. He was good looking, she mused as the girls in the class swooned, not her cup of tea but he still looked ruggedly handsome.

"My name is Doctor Alaric Saltzman and this is Political theory 101" the professor's voice boomed and Bonnie squared her shoulders. She wasn't going to concern herself about Caroline right now, at least not until the little blonde crossed the line.

.

.

That evening, Caroline decided that she was no longer going to play the victim. She was going to take the hand dealt to her and use it for her own gain. She, Caroline Forbes was going to win back Stefan Salvatore.

She slipped on a flimsy black La Perla chemise, the soft silk chiffon whispered on her bare skin; she pulled on the matching briefs then slowly eased each slender leg into a pair of black hold up stockings. She stood in front of the gilt mirror in her bedroom smiling at her reflection, she felt like Elizabeth Taylor in Butterfield 8. It was one of her favorite movies; she'd even given Stefan Salvatore a lighter with B8 engraved on it as homage to the whirl wind romance between Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. She strolled across the bedroom in her black Miu Miu patent pumps raking her short manicured nails through her tousled golden curls before shrugging into her tan trench coat. Seizing her picnic basket filled with cupcakes and a bottle of champagne, she exited the sorority house and made her way to Alpha Zeta Pi.

She stood outside the frat house for a long time, merely starring at the imposing heavy iron doorknocker. Then finally willing herself to act, she grabbed the doorknocker and banged it on the door. When the door finally opened, it was none other than Klaus Mikaelson standing in front of her.

"Are you the designated butler around here? You open more doors than our doorman in Park Avenue." She said as she shoved her way into the house.

"Caroline, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"The pleasure isn't yours; I'm here to see Stefan"

"Going for the jugular I see." He chuckled, appraising her with his eyes. She could feel the heat of his gaze permeating into her clothes and she hated the flush crawling into the apples of her cheeks.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmm…Pity sex with Stefan, and by pity sex I mean that Stefan will be having pity sex with you." He said.

"If you want to ruin Stefan, fucking him is not the way to go about it. I could help you destroy him and we would start by ruining his finances." He reached out to finger the collar of her trench coat and Caroline closed her eyes, listening to the thrum of her heartbeat and the sound of his thumb brushing the fabric.

"Stefan doesn't care about money." She managed to say when Klaus's fingers brushed against the skin on her neck.

"Everyone cares about money, love. It can buy everything under the sun, power, love, comforts and that little slip of underwear you have on under that coat." His eyes lingered on her mouth, his fingers hovering on the top button of her coat. How quick it would be for him to unravel it, she thought as her eyes fluttered open.

"Stefan is different." She managed to say.

"Let's take it all away and see how different he is then." Klaus challenged with fire in his eyes.

"You do realize that Stefan is a nineteen year old student so-"

"I'm sure Stefan has a trust fund like the rest of us."

"You wouldn't."

"We could."

"I'm gonna forget we even had this conversation. Goodnight, Klaus."

"You disappoint me, love." He called, watching her ass as she sauntered up the stairs. She fought the urge to glimpse at him over her shoulder.

Knocking on Stefan's bedroom door, she rolled her shoulders to ease away the tension caused by Klaus.

"Caroline" Stefan said, startled as he opened the door.

"Hi, baby. I hope you don't mind, "she sashayed past him leaving a waft of oriental perfume in her wake. "I brought cupcakes."

"I got you your favorite," she threw her clutch on the study desk littered with books.

"And your other favorite" her red lips curved into a seductive smile as she untied her belt. He didn't say anything but she could feel his eyes responding. Slowly she removed her coat and revealed soft chiffon and black lace-topped stockings.

"Caroline, please don't do this" Stefan pleaded, his green eyes dragging down her svelte body. She was willing to do anything to win him back, anything to have Stefan take her pain away. Slowly she slid off the straps, the chemise slithering down her honeyed body until she was wearing nothing but a Tiffany charm necklace and black stockings.

"Only you could seduce a man with cupcakes and La Perla." He said grimly but she noted the amused tone in his voice and was hopeful that he would react like she had planned in her head.

"I know you still want me" she purred sauntering toward him and draping her arms around his neck.

"Put your clothes back on," he jerked his head away from her caressing hand.

"Why couldn't you fight for us?" she spat, her hand curling into a fist as she claimed it back from him. She shrugged back into her coat, tossing her hair over the collar.

"Because I've got no fight left in me, Caroline." He simply said and she stifled back a tear.

"People change, they grow, they move, they die." Stefan told her, "I learnt a few things about myself while I was away from you. Care, what we have transcends everything. You were my best friend before you became my girlfriend but here's the thing, you'll always be my soul mate."

When she said nothing, he continued "As my friend, I love you unconditionally and I'll always be there for you"

Caroline was starting to feel faint, her chest rose and fell from her deep inhales but she succeeded in sputtering out a sentence, "I'll always see you in a different light and I won't make excuses for my feelings for you. If you won't fight for us, I will."

Stefan stood motionless as she loped past him, slamming the door behind her. With her chin tucked into her coat, she stormed out of Stefan's bedroom, pausing only when she realized that Klaus's bedroom door was ajar. Silently she crept past his room, weary of him discovering her failed attempt at seduction.

.

…

 _A/N: As most of you who read my fics will know I ship Baroline as friends so this fic of them being frenemies is new for me too. Their friendship will grow naturally as will the Bamon and Klaroline relationships but I have to admit I enjoy writing them feud over a boy neither of them will end up with. Lol!_


	4. The Party Favor

.

Caroline didn't want to leave the safe cocoon on her blankets but she had to go to class and function as part of the student body. The only thing that was making her feel alive again was the fact that Bid day was in two days. Casting a glance down at the sheets tangled around her legs, she ran a hand through her dishevelled hair and kicked the sheets, tumbling out the bed. Her body ached and her eyes were a tad bit swollen but she blamed her stress levels.

She could hear the muffled voices of the house behind her closed door. Someone was screaming about Katherine finishing the hot water and Caroline groaned. She wondered why Katherine didn't just go to Kappa Tau Beta for their shower facilities because the frat boys in that chapter certainly never used it and she slept over there enough times to be rendered the house mascot.

She opened her bedroom door and popped her head out. A fog of steam billowed out around the hallway making the place look like a war zone. Grabbing her loofah, toilet bag and shower cap, she hurried to the shower because she had no other choice but to deal with the cold water. She didn't have time to drive home and she certainly couldn't use the shower at Stefan's frat house even though the insistent catcalls she received from his frat brothers had annoyed her to no end.

"Hey, Carebear!" Lexi greeted her as they passed each other in the busy hallway.

"Morning." Caroline mumbled back, throwing a glance at Liv who was draped in a fluffy white towel, with a fruit cup in her hand. Lexi was Liv's big sister and they were always around each other, even during showers. Had it not been for the fact that Liv secretly dated Kappa Tau Beta's Tyler Lockwood, Caroline might have had other ideas about the relationship.

"Bid day in two days, aren't you excited." Liv asked with a wink.

"Super excited." Caroline replied, it wasn't exactly a lie but it wasn't the truth either.

After the shower, she padded back to her bedroom and pulled out three outfits from her closet. She laid them on top of the bed and stepped back to access her choice. She decided to keep it young and flirty in attempt to lift up her mood. Easing into her floral playsuit, cork-wedge espadrilles and her Tiffany necklace, she appraised herself in the full length mirror then grabbed her bag.

"There you are, "Rebekah exclaimed from the bottom of the stairs as she climbed up the staircase in teetering PRADA heels. She obviously hadn't slept at the house, Caroline thought.

"Morning, Bekah." She feigned a smile, climbing down the steps to meet the house president halfway.

"I have good news. Bonnie will be moving into the house next week."

Caroline frowned, crossing her arms "Rebekah, pledges don't live in the sorority house."

"I'm making an exception, besides she might just be your little sister after Bid Day."

"You wouldn't."

"She's rooming with you." She informed Caroline, her face beaming with pride.

"Seriously? You're only doing this so you'll keep her out of Sigma Gamma Rho's clutches aren't you?"

"Care, I'm still your big sister and though it may not seem like it. I have your best interests at heart." She said calmly, "To be honest I think you've lost track of who you are and what you want. The girl I elected VP had her whole life planned out, she didn't moan about boy trouble."

Caroline opened her mouth to say something but Rebekah quickly cut her off with her hand, "You need to get over this Stefan issue and the first step is rooming with Bonnie."

"What's the next step, to shoot myself?"

Rebekah ignored her remark and reached a hand into her purse, plucking out a piece of paper "You'll be happy to know that I've made a list of very eligible boys from Alpha Zeta Phi. You're free to peruse the list at your leisure but please give me a name by next week for our mixer."

Caroline ran her manicured finger down the list "Aaron Whitmore?

"You do know that he's Stefan's roommate, right?" she asked, looking up at Rebekah.

"Logistics . We can sort that out later?" Rebekah waved the reasoning away with the flick of her wrist. Caroline carried on, registering the illustrious names on the list. She noticed that two important names were omitted from the list, Marcel Gerard and Klaus Mikaelson. She understood why Bekah wouldn't put Marcel on the list since she was sleeping with him and she reckoned the reason Klaus's name was not listed was because she didn't want Caroline hooking up with her brother.

"Thank you "she smiled at Rebekah and swallowed the knot lodged in her throat.

"There only way to get over a boy is get under a new one" Bekah winked, patting Caroline's back as she climbed back up the stairs. Caroline didn't have time to register what just happened because she was already late for her Criminal Justice class.

She slithered inside the lecture hall just as the professor had started taking attendance. He gave her a curt nod and she slumped into her seat, taking out her pencil and notebook. Her class felt longer than usual and all she really wanted was to go back to bed. She heard a loud pop and whipped her head around to see a girl on her right smacking gum in her mouth. The strawberry blond turned to glare at her, green eyes flaring before she snapped the chewing gum again. Caroline took in the girl's stringy hair tangled with dry shampoo, the t-shirt she'd obviously slept in, the thumbs moving rapidly over her phone keypads and rolled her eyes. It was going to be a really long class especially with the lanky emo guy on her left continuously clicking is pen.

Her head was throbbing, her mouth was dry and the Starbucks coffee wasn't doing her any favors. She was in the process of carefully massaging her temples to ease her tension when she caught Klaus in her peripheral vision. She had completely forgotten that he was taking the same class because until recently, Klaus had not been a part of her immediate life. Her life pre-breakup could be summarized into three things, Sorority, Stefan and friends. Her vice-presidency was now hanging at a balance, her number of friends was slowly thinning out and Stefan was being Stefan.

The lecture was tediously long and so after Professor Shane mentioned something about a paper over a chorus of groans, she collected her books because she knew that the class was finished.

"Looks like somebody had a rough night." Klaus whispered in her ear as they all poured out of the lecture hall.

"Would you mind keeping it down? Your voice is not doing my head any favors." Caroline cringed as they passed a girl whose t-shirt read no means yes and yes means anal.

"Tough crowd. "he smiled, a pair of dimples devoting his cheeks. She'd been privy to those dimples a few times in the past week. They were his arsenal, a pair of spellbinding dimples that rendered all the girls senseless, blind to his true devious nature. Caroline quickened her steps. She wasn't in the mood for Klaus today.

"You fancy another cup of coffee, love?" he pointed to her empty cup which for some unfathomable reason she was toting around with her. Snapping her head to look at him, she stopped in her tracks and glared at him.

"You sure you want me to injure your pretty face with a scalding cup of coffee?" she arched an eyebrow but supressed a smile.

"I'll make sure its decaf." A glimmer of amusement flashed in his eyes, "I'll even throw in a bagel."

Caroline sucked in a breath then replied, "I wouldn't be caught dead, gutted or skinned on a desert island with you."

"You're adorable" he reached for her hand, turned it over and kissed her palm.

"Klaus, "she blushed, keenly aware of his warm mouth pressed sweetly against her palm. Klaus always loved to test the waters, check to see how far he could take their flirtation but Caroline never let it get too far. She was about to snatch her hand away from him when a girl came out of nowhere, barrelling down toward them. Her papers went flying everywhere and she skated across the floor.

"Shit!" Caroline spat, stumbling backwards. She was grateful for Klaus's arms as they wrapped around her waist in a protective gesture. Her planned retaliation and snide remarks flew out the window when she clung to him.

"I'm sorry" the girl apologised, tossing both of them a look while she tried to gather the papers littered all over the floor. Klaus and Caroline exchanged a look as if debating which one should stoop down on the floor to help the girl.

Thick, dark hair veiled her face as she prattled on "I didn't mean to run into you like that. I'm late for class."

"You better slow down before you hurt yourself." Caroline advised the girl.

"Or injure somebody!" Klaus chipped in, disregarding Caroline's nudge to get down on his knees and assist the stranger.

"Hi, I'm Elena." She informed them, scrambling to her feet.

"Caroline Forbes."

"I know who you are." Elena responded, sounding a little winded.

"Of course you do, love" Klaus drawled and Caroline realized that her hand was still in his possession.

Snatching her hand back from him, she smiled at the girl "Nice meeting you, Elena."

"Like wise." The brunette raised her hand to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What's that?" Klaus asked, his eyes catching the twinkle of her ring.

"What?" Elena queried, her brown eyes now wide-open.

"On your finger, I've seen that before." He wet his lip, pointing to the silver ring with the letter P on it.

"It's a purity ring." She said timidly, trying to hide it now with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"You're a virgin." He grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Stop it, Klaus, "Caroline turned to glare at him, "See you around, Elena" she quickly added and brushed past her with Klaus following closely behind.

"Sure." Elena said to herself, books clasped tightly against her chest as she watched the couple walk away. Her heart rate hurried as her eyes darted around the noisy hall then slowly; she pulled her phone out of her bag, took a quick picture of Caroline with Klaus and then punched the buttons to send a blast to the Burn Book.

"Is this you being nice and turning a new leaf?" Klaus asked, signalling to the girl who'd nearly bumped into them.

"This is me being hungry, grumpy and exhausted." She said coolly, giving him a side glance.

"About that coffee?" Klaus raised his index finger as a reminder.

"Bye Klaus." She replied. As she stepped out of the building, the heat of the sun smacked her face and her mobile phone beeped an annoying tone she knew too well. It was another Burn Book blast. Caroline hesitated, her heart hammering against her chest. Gingerly, she drew the phone from her bag and slid it open.

 _Some would say that Whitmore College is a chessboard. Question is, has the queen found a new knight?_

She read the blast then snapped the phone shut again, a smile playing across her lips.

.

.

Bid day, Bonnie smiled scanning the cheering crowd of girls scattered around the front of Gamma Phi Beta double-storey house.

Gamma Phi Beta letters threaded with daisies decorated the front lawn and clutters of sorority sisters welcomed the recruits with nametags. A few of the active members were dressed in tutus with dustings of glitter on their faces or face paint. A girl bumped into her shoulder, laughing and screaming as she chased after her friends. Weaving through the crowd, she took it all in and a flood of excitement rushed through her. She was officially a Gamma Phi Beta girl like her mother had been before her. She didn't buy into the whole sorority thing but being amongst the cheering girls made her feel closer to her mother somehow. It felt as though she was walking in Abby's shoes. She spotted Caroline clad in a white feather tutu, the sorority house's pink t-shirt and a flower crown.

With a groan, she stepped back and tried to avoid eye contact with the blonde but it was too late because Caroline zeroed in on her. She approached Bonnie, her blue eyes twinkling and a flood of heat rising to her cheeks.

"Bonnie." She greeted dryly.

"Caroline."

"Congratulations on getting the bid. You're halfway done with single white femaling my life." She smiled, glancing down at the Greek letters embroidered on the pocket of Bonnie's snug pink t-shirt.

"Whatever." Bonnie rolled her eyes skyward, trying to shove past Caroline but stopped short when a small mousy haired girl with glasses came to stand beside her.

"Hi, I'm Megan King." She addressed Caroline and the other two girls with her. Bonnie recognised them from rush night but she had to read the names on their name tags to remember their names.

"Are you lost?" Liv asked with a frown.

"No, I'm a Gamma Phi Beta pledge." Megan smiled and pointed to the emblem on the pocket of her loose fitting t-shirt.

"Are we so hard up for pledges that we're letting anyone pledge these days?" Liv continued, her big blue eyes flitting to Megan's wrinkled shorts and the windbreaker tied around her waist.

"Awesome meeting you Megan, have a super day and welcome to Gamma Phi Beta" Caroline interjected, a smile plastered on her face. Megan shook hands with both of them before vanishing back into the crowd.

"I don't trust her." Liv informed Caroline, her eyes still focused on Megan.

Caroline craned her neck, following Liv's example but responded with a solemn, "You don't trust anybody."

The two moved on without so much as a glance back in Bonnie's direction.

.

.

By the time the sun set everyone was supremely drunk. A few people huddled in small clusters exchanging sorority stories with the newbies and Bonnie found herself in such a scenario when Katherine roped her in for a session with none other than the mean girls of Gamma Phi Beta. She plopped down on a pile of pillows at Katherine's insistence and crossed her legs Indian style. Leaning forward with her elbows resting on her lap, she tugged at a few blades of grass and her eyes fitted across to Caroline. The noise from the group nearby carried over to them and Katherine had to clap her hands to get Liv and Caroline's attention.

"Okay, we're playing a game and it's called stick of truth. You have to tell the truth even if it kills you." Katherine announced, picking up the bottle of whiskey she had placed between the four of them. She unscrewed the lid and took a hearty drink before passing the whiskey to Liv.

"Can't we just play spin the bottle like normal sorority girls?" Liv whined, tearing the bottle from Katherine's hands.

"Try to be innovative, Liv. I know it's hard for you to think outside the box."

Liv took a sip then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, "So where is this stick?"

"You're holding it." Katherine pointed to the bottle with her chin.

"I hate my brother. I hate the fact that people look at him and hear Kai Parker and then naturally think of me because we're nothing alike." She took another swig of liquor and stared at the bottle in her hand, swaying slightly as a result of her intoxication.

She continued, her slur mounting "I hate the fact that he's so socially awkward cause it reflects badly on me. I know that I should applaud him for his so called individuality but he sucks and college sucks." She raised the bottle to her lips again and took another gulp. After she'd finished she looked up at Katherine who signalled for Bonnie to take the alcohol. Gingerly, Bonnie curled her fingers around the neck of the bottle and tipped it to her lips.

After her long drink, she expelled a shaky breath and looked at her fingers, "My father likes to feed me this black empowerment speech. He thinks it's all great and impassioned but it's really just glim and reaching."

She gave a dry chuckle and continued "He thinks that I could be the next Condoleezza Rice and since she has a PhD in Political Science, he figured that would be my major. He has my life all penned out for me."

Taking her last sip, she looked up at Caroline and nodded.

Snagging the bottle from Bonnie, Caroline drank thirstily before her speech "I've always been the head cheerleader, the debutante, daddy's little girl. I don't know who I am without all these labels."

"You're Caroline Forbes." Katherine said with a faint smile.

"What happened to calling me Barbie?" Caroline asked with a low chuckle, handing the bottle over to Katherine.

"I'm drunk so you get a pass tonight." She waved the alcohol away, urging Caroline to continue talking.

"Sometimes I think my mom pushed me towards law purely for the purpose of snatching a husband." She said, the whiskey poised over her lips. Taking anther hearty swing, she smiled.

"She was surprisingly supportive about my breakup with Stefan." She grinned, her eyes darting to Bonnie who shifted uncomfortably in her position.

"That's good." Katherine quickly said.

"It kinda makes me wonder what she has up her sleeve but I know she really wants the Gamma Pi Beta presidency. She wants me to be just like Rebekah."

"You'd need an army of skanks to be Rebekah Mikaelson twenty-four-seven." Liv startled all three of them when she spoke up.

"I'm not sure I even want to be Rebekah twenty-four-seven." Caroline chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"Good, cause I'm not sure I can be a skank twenty-four-seven….expect for the fact that I already am." Katherine shrugged off her statement and took the liquor from Caroline.

"No, you're not." Bonnie said softly, patting Katherine's knee.

After a gracious nod, Katherine waved the bottle in the air and exclaimed to the girls, "Enough of this melancholy! Who's up for a party at Kappa Tau Beta?"

.

.

The party was in full swing when the girls arrived at Kappa Tau Beta's house. The place was teeming with sorority girls from different chapters and it was quiet apparent that everyone was still celebrating Bid day. Bonnie and the girls managed to locate the beer kegs and collected a few red plastic cups in order to partake in the fervent sport of college drinking. Kappa Tau Beta took drinking and partying to a whole new level because there were bubbling bongs, and half-eaten boxes of pizza everywhere. They proudly broke a number of rules and the slackers seemed proud to do it.

Bonnie blinked as they entered a new room and tried to accustom her eyes to the dimness. She spotted a broken juke box, a pool table and a few couples making out along the small bar. When her eyes landed on Damon, a frown marred her face and halted on the spot. She observed Caroline and Katherine talking to Damon and approached slowly when she thought it was safe to do so. Caroline said something about checking out the lounge and disappeared back into the crowd leaving Bonnie and Katherine with Damon.

"Wanna shoot some pool?" he asked Katherine but swung a look toward Bonnie for good measure.

"Sure, I'm game."

Katherine bent over the pool table, rolling a billiard ball with her hand before picking it up. She was about to straighten back up when a blonde boy with facial scruff came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Galen" she purred in a sing-a-long voice and straightened back up. She spun around and met his gaze, looping her arms around his neck.

"What say you and me find a more private place to talk?" he tightened his grip around her waist and tugged her closer.

Katherine smiled, "Lead the way."

As Katherine and Galen departed, Damon and Bonnie exchanged a look. She rolled her shoulders and cleared her throat and tried to look elsewhere around the room but there were couples kissing everywhere. She thought about calling Stefan so that she could practice her own version of tongue hockey but thought better of it. This party was her chance at the whole college experience thing, today had been a good day and she'd gotten closer to Katherine. She couldn't really be sure where she stood with Caroline but she didn't want to rock the boat by inviting trouble.

"What kind of music do you like?" Damon asked, collecting the cue balls so that he could place them inside triangular rack.

"Are you talking to me?" she asked, a thumb pointing to her chest.

"Just trying to make conversation" he leaned over the pool table, angling from the waist and looked down a pool stick as he lined up his shot. Bonnie leaned her hip against the table, watching the intense gaze he lent to the ball before hitting it. The ball ricocheted to the side but didn't make the corner pocket.

"Why, I thought I was the big, bad bitch of the west and by the west I mean Washington DC." She chalked up her cue stick, sizing up the balls on the table as she looked for an angle.

"My opinion of you hasn't changed, I'm simply engaging in dialogue with a house guest."

"Don't strain yourself. I know how hard it is for you frat boys to converse past American Pie movie quotes." She swung her eyes up at him with a big smile on her face then leaned over the table, sliding the stick between her fingers until she felt the right grip. Damon sat on the edge of the table and squared his shoulders but she could tell that he was supressing a smile.

"There you are, babe." A sun-streaked blonde with mile-long legs approached them and threw her arms around Damon. Bonnie watched with fascination as they kissed in front of her. Shaking her head, she bent back down and took the perfect shot.

.

.

Caroline hadn't actually seen the inside of Kappa Tau's house before this evening but the mismatched furniture and beer stains on their plaid couches fit the legend of the party house. Word around campus was they had connections to term-paper dealers and other drugs and ordinarily being in such an environment would have made her skin crawl but she was drunk and tonight she was trying to shed her neurotic impulses. Stumbling over a couple making out on the floor, she reached the shelves lining one side of the wall and plucked out an album.

"Hey, I have Criminal Justice class with you." A boy clad in an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt said as he moved toward her. He was tall, athletic with dirty blonde hair and a skin tone attained from weeks under a balmy Ibiza sun.

"I'm Spencer." He smiled, thrusting out his hand.

"Caroline." She grinned, feeling the warm grip of his handshake.

"I know." He told her and gestured to the empty album cover in her hand.

"Hey, you wanna check out an authentic album collection?" he asked, signalling to the bedrooms upstairs with his finger.

"What are you into, Nsync?" Caroline rolled her eyes, a smirk playing at her lips.

"She has jokes. You listen to the Dixie Chicks, right?" Spencer chortled, taking her by the hand, "Come on, I have a music collection that will shock your system."

"Fine, show me." She resigned with a mock sigh.

When they got to his room, Caroline looked around the place. It was half-way descent and surprisingly clean. While she looked at his music collection, he busied himself by assembling a drink for her.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, pulling out two pills from his pocket. He slipped them into a red plastic cup filled with beer and shook the cup a little to allow the drugs settle.

"Great stuff" Caroline smiled, flipping over the album cover in her hand.

"Here. "He said, handing her the cup. Caroline looked at the beer in her hand and wrinkled her nose at the foam.

"Come on, bottoms up" he gave her a sly grin, tapping his cup against hers.

"Sure." She laughed and tossed her head back, draining her glass in three gulps.

.

.

"Hey, have you seen Caroline?" Katherine came bounding for Bonnie who was sitting outside with Enzo discussing his passion for music.

With a slight shoulder shrug, Bonnie took another drink from the plastic cup and asked "No. What's up?"

"She just called me but she's not saying anything. All I heard was just music in the background." Katherine spoke hurriedly, still palming her cell phone.

"Perhaps she rang you by mistake, love." Enzo offered, rising to his feet.

Shaking her head and running a shaky hand through her hair, Katherine wet her lips and said "No. I have a bad feeling about this."

Bonnie pushed herself off from the wall and got to her feet, dusting the dirt off her denim shorts.

"I'm gonna go look for her." Katherine told them.

Bonnie hesitated before stepping forward, "Wait up, I'll go with you."

They barged inside the house, weaving through crowds of drunken students.

"Have you seen Caroline?" Katherine was tapping everyone on the shoulder and asking them this question and so Bonnie followed her lead but everything was still hazy for her. She had ingested too much alcohol and the feeling of her pushing past hordes of people had the same sensation as waddling through violent water waves.

She was feeling sea sick and feared that she would puke all over someone's shoes any minute now.

"Last I saw her she was headed off to Tyler's room with Spencer." Someone finally responded to Katherine's plea and to Bonnie it sounded as if the voice was coming from some far away music-filled vacuum.

"Come on." Katherine said, running up the stairs with Bonnie chasing after her. The brunette made a bee-line for a room hugging one corner of the hallway and banged on the door, yelling for Spencer to open it. When the door finally swung open, the girls barrelled into the bedroom and saw Caroline lying on the bed with her hair spilling over the pillow.

"Hey!" Spencer cried, looking from Katherine to Bonnie then back at Katherine who was now kneeling over the bed. He looked flushed, startled and petrified all at the same time and Bonnie was still in a daze as she watched Katherine grip Caroline by her tiny shoulders.

"Caroline, Caroline are you okay?" Katherine slapped the blonde's face to try and wake her up.

…

 _A/N: Thanks for the reviews and follows my lovelies. Firstly let me address the issue of "unlikable" characters, please note that there are no Mary Sue's in this fic (unless deliberate). As stated before this fic is based mostly on tropes from various TV shows which also include the movie Mean Girls. You're not supposed to like most of them at first but remember there's still a lot of character growth to come for most of the characters. I have a lot lined up of Carebear I wouldn't make her a total sap throughout the whole fic, trust me._

 _AA/N: The roofie scene is from One Tree Hill. To be continued…_


	5. Through a Glass, Darkly

_Disclaimer: Sexual assault and slut shaming triggers ahead._

.

"What did you do to her?" Bonnie glared at Spencer, placing her hands onto her hips. He blinked owlishly for several seconds, his gaze darting between Bonnie and Katherine. Bonnie took note of the beads of sweat on his brow before he wiped them off with his sleeve. She looked around the room taking in the football poster on the back of the door, the crumpled clothes on the floor and the moldy socks near a stack of red cups on the study desk.

"Nothing!" he hissed, arms folded and fists clenched tightly against his chest.

"Come on Barbie, wake up." Katherine gripped Caroline's shoulders once more, shaking her awake.

Flinging her eyes back up at a stunned Spencer, Katherine spat "Why is she like this, what did you do?"

"How the fuck should I know? She's probably drunk." He shrugged, looking around the room uneasily.

"Fuck you!" Katherine lunged for him, grabbing him by the front f his shirt.

"Get out of my fucking room!" Spencer clenched a hand around her wrist to stop her from swinging at him.

"This is not even your room asshole! Its Tyler's room"

"Yeah, you'd know, slut!"

"Fuck you."

"You know you've been on more wieners than ketchup!"

"Let's just go try and get Caroline some fresh air." Bonnie rushed toward Katherine and pulled her off him. With her chest heaving and fists clenched at her sides, Katherine allowed Bonnie to rein her in. They both held Spencer's stare as they returned back to Caroline's side. He glared at them, jaw tightened and face inflamed with anger and humiliation. They picked up Caroline's limp arms and draped them around their shoulders in an effort to carry her out of the bedroom. She smiled up at them and mumbled something.

Climbing down the stairs, they stumbled over a few couples making out on the staircase and pushed through the crowd to the exit. Bonnie's head was pounding and she swallowed every now and then to clear the bile climbing up her throat.

Fresh air smacked their flushed cheeks as they staggered outside. They sat Caroline down on the steps with Katherine cradling her head on her lap, stroking her flaxen hair. Bonnie dug out her cell phone and swiped her thumb across the screen. She held it to her ear, foot tapping the ground as she bit her lip anxiously.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up" she muttered into the phone, glancing back at the dancing crowd inside the house. Music drifted outside every time someone opened the door to smoke or kiss out on the porch.

"Who're you calling?" Katherine asked.

"Stefan, I don't know you else to call."

Katherine, fanned Caroline with her hand and said, "Shit this is so fucked up. I think he slipped a roofie into her drink."

"Should we get her to the hospital?" Bonnie asked, still listening to Stefan's dialling tone. When he picked up, her pulse hastened and she spoke speedily.

"Stefan! Thank god. Caroline needs you."

"What's going on?" he sounded half asleep.

"We're at Kappa Tau Beta and someone's drugged Caroline's drink."

.

.

It took about ten minutes before the girls spotted Stefan's car as he parked haphazardly close to the frat house. He tumbled out of the car, alarm on his face as he raced toward them.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes darting between them anxiously. When he saw Caroline, he rushed to her side and palmed her ashen face.

"Spencer Montgomery roofied her drink!" Katherine fired, scrambling to her feet with her arm wrapped around Caroline's waist.

They didn't have time to tell him anything else because Stefan shot like a bullet inside the crowded frat house. He asked a few guys if they had seen Spencer and when they pointed him in the right direction, he barrelled toward the frat boy in haste. Stefan threw the first punch, landing it on the Spencer's jaw before following with two more brutal punches to his abdomen. The guy doubled over clutching his stomach and that's when Damon came out of nowhere, hands firmly around Stefan in an attempt to draw him away from the brawl. Bonnie blinked owlishly, her eyes darting from Stefan to Katherine who was still holding Caroline in a protective hug. In her fog, she thought it was finally over; they could get the hell out of the party and get help for Caroline so when Mr douchebag came barrelling forward to tackle Stefan, he caught the younger Salvatore off-guard. Hooking his arm around Stefan's neck, he pulled him down to the floor and sneaked in a punch of his own when his fist connected with the side of Stefan's head.

"Get the fuck off him!" Damon flung himself at the Spencer, landing a stinging punch on the guy's chin and as if he had said the magic word, the rest of the frat boys joined it in kicking the shit out of spencer before it turned into an all out brawl.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked a rumpled looking Stefan.

"Yeah, let's just get Caroline out of here." He said, running a head through his hair before stepping toward Katherine. Slowly he draped an arm around Caroline's waist then hooked one of her arms around his shoulder.

"Does anything hurt?" he asked, picking her up in his arms and cradling her against his chest.

Looking up at him, Caroline barely whispered back "I'm fine."

"Come on; let's get you to a safe place" he told her warmly.

"Is Blondie gonna be okay?" Damon came chasing after them, blood dripping down his nose.

"Don't, this is all your fault!" Bonnie shoved at his chest, nearly toppling him over.

"How the hell is this my fault?" he grimaced, glancing down at his bloody knuckles.

Pointing to Spencer, she yelled "That idiot is your frat bro isn't he?"

"So what, birds of a feather?" he quizzed, stumbling back.

"Exactly!"

"Bon just let him be." Katherine grabbed her upper arm, pulling her off Damon.

Jerking Bonnie's arm away from his shoulder, Damon chased after his brother, calling him above the music and the yelling "Stefan! Stefan!"

Stefan ignored in, resolute in his goal to get Caroline out of the house. Katherine remained behind while Bonnie and Stefan piled into the BMW, putting Caroline in the backseat.

"Are you okay to drive?" she asked, casting a quick look at Caroline to see if she was still lucid.

"Yeah." He strangled the steering wheel, his knuckles blanching. Scrubbing a hand down his face, he pulled out his phone from his pocket. Het thumbed through the menu then brought the phone up to his ear and waited. Bonnie could see that he was beating himself about Caroline being hurt. She saw the anguish in his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"Who're you calling?" she asked, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Liam Davis, he's pre-med." He shot her a glance before turning his attention back to the phone.

"Hi Liam."

Bonnie listened as he explained Caroline's situation to Liam. She noted the nods and the way his hand gripped the steering wheel. When he finally hung up, he started the engine and pulled out of the parking spot.

"Where're we going?"

"The hospital, Liam said to take her to ER" he replied hastily, his voice laced with panic.

"What about her mom, you gonna let her know?"

"Yeah, sure." He grumbled pulling out his phone again. They were speeding down the freeway now, headlights bright on their review mirror.

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to text and drive." Bonnie told him, a slight anxiety in her voice.

"Her phone's on voicemail and this is an emergency." He protested, his eyes fixed onto the phone's screen.

"You wanna ease up on the gas?" Bonnie extended her arm, her fingers squeezing his shoulder.

"Sorry." He glanced at her, a faint smile gracing his lips. As she turned her eyes back to the road, a pair of headlights flashed ahead, their beam bouncing off the windscreen. Bonnie shielded her eyes from the glare just as Stefan whipped his head around to face the traffic.

"Look out!" she yelled as a dark figure ran across the road but it was too late. The screech of tires as Stefan hit the brakes and the jolt of her head sobered her up for a moment.

"What happened?" she asked, peering out through the windscreen but the lights were too bright, too all consuming.

"Nothing, it's probably nothing." He said, his eyes focused on the road ahead. Slowly the car crawled ahead before he pressed his foot on the gas petal, leaving the scene of the crime.

.

.

"What's going to happen with now?" Katherine asked, shoving her hands into her pockets. They were standing outside with the wail of sirens piercing the air. Her eyes followed the white campus patrol cars and she sighed.

"Well, for starters I'm going to bed. Tomorrow I will navigate the politics of trying to keep Kappa Tau open because after this the first thing the board will try to do is shut us down." Damon replied with a packet of ice over his eye.

"Could you try and give a solitary fuck about someone else for two seconds?"

"Before you start flinging faeces, what's your problem?" he filched, shooting her a glare.

"One of your frat bros roofied Caroline! You remember her right, your brother's ex?"

"Clearly I'm either drunk or you're heavily medicated because I don't recall you' being Blondie's biggest fan"

"I'm not and quite frankly it's ironic that this all happened to Saint Caroline" she shrugged her shoulders, rolling her eyes.

"If you hate her so much, why were you hanging out with her tonight and why did you help her with the Spencer thing?"

"I brought her out here as a joke. I thought she'd get that stick out of her ass and get laid or something."

"You wanted her to get screwed over by a Kappa Tau?"

"Pretty much"

With a groan, he stood up from the bean bag and made a show out of kicking a few red cups to the lawn, "But then when it happens you go out of your way to play Supergirl?"

"I didn't want her to get raped you moron. That's different." She spat, giving him a light shove.

"Hey, are we doing this or what?"

Galan's voice alarmed both of them. He leaned his shoulder against the door frame, hands in the front pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Katherine nodded at the blonde then turned to give Damon her last glare.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Damon seemed to smile with relief at the prospect of not having to endure another moment with her.

.

.

Bonnie and Stefan waited outside the ER for Caroline while doctors took blood and urine tests for Rohypnol. He was on the phone talking to Damon, caught between fisting his hair and running a shaky hand through the tresses.

"They're running some tests…" he told his older brother and rubbed his palm down the front of his jeans.

"Yeah, she'll probably have to give a statement to the police" he continued and Bonnie closed her eyes and tried to zone out of the hospital. She hated hospitals, the sterile smell, the bed-ridden people and the blaring announcements over the intercom. It reminded her too much of her mother, sure she hadn't been sick but after the car accident they had taken her to the hospital and Bonnie had been there when the doctors announced her death.

Suddenly she felt sick and didn't really want to be in there a moment longer.

.

.

After the hospital, they pulled up in front of a beach house and Bonnie remembered Stefan mentioning it during their time in the Maldives. Salty air blew into her face and as she breathed it in, the knots in her stomach thawed and her nausea retreated back down her throat. She swayed, running a hand through her hair as he waited for Stefan to help Caroline out of the vehicle. Inside the house, everything was a daze but she noticed the expansive space and the glass walls. When Stefan switched on the overhead lights, she realised that they were inside a double storey glass house several metres from the sea.

She followed Stefan up the stairs as he carried Caroline.

"You hungry?" he asked, over his shoulder.

"No, I'm good."

When they got to the rooms, she looked around at the bed anchoring the bedroom and the pillows piled along the headboard. Stefan opened the sheets and laid Caroline down on top of the bed, tugging the sheet over her shoulders.

She watched as he slid in next to Caroline. He gestured to an empty spot next to the blonde but Bonnie shook her head, a weak smile playing across her lips. Caroline's hair spilled across Stefan's chest while he touched her cheek, memorizing her features with the pads of his fingers. Bonnie could hear the muffled rumble of the ocean outside but the bedroom was quiet except for Caroline's breathing. She watched the tender moment between the two of them. This was new for her, seeing a protective Stefan who wanted to save his ex-girlfriend.

"It's weird seeing her like this." She said, biting a corner of her lower lip.

"Like what?"

"This vulnerable, this innocent. I don't think that I'm her favorite person in the world."

"That's probably my fault." He said grimly, reaching up to stroke a lock of hair back from Caroline's flushed cheek.

"Do you think that if you hadn't met me you'd-"

"Don't." Stefan cut her off, his eyes boring into hers.

"Maybe I'm just your escapism" Bonnie said, tapping her fingers against the glass in her hands. She was using both hands to hold the glass; her former shrink in Washington would have it a defence mechanism.

"I told you this was never about you. Even if I hadn't met you…" Stefan insisted as he pushed himself up on one elbow.

"You would've broken her heart." She said quietly, looking up at him. When he didn't respond, she looked at the glass in her hand and hoisted it back up to her lips.

"I'm gonna get more coffee." She said, leaving the room and closing the door with a soft click behind her.

…

 _A/N: More from Caroline's POV and a bit of Klaroline and Bonkai in the next chapter._


	6. Catastrophe and the Cure,

Caroline woke up in Stefan's arms.

Startled, she lifted her head off his chest and rested a hand against his shoulder. Her eyes flew to his face and the flutter of his closed eyelids. She was still lost in a haze as she dropped a glance to her chest, she was still fully dressed but that still didnt answer the question of why she was waking up in bed with her ex-boyfriend. For a moment she was struck with the desire to kiss his eyelids, his cheeks and his mouth but something felt out of place. She studied her surroundings, the low wood beam ceiling, the unobstructed ocean view through the floor to ceiling windows, the surf board resting against the blue wall at the end of the bed and the nautical throw pillows scattered on the wooden floor.

She was in the Salvatore beach house.

She had spent plenty of nights here, in his room and those nights had been preceded by a boisterous party or two. Caroline wondered if that had been the case the previous night. It took all her willpower to stagger to her feet and she winced at the pain in the back of her head the whole time. Trudging to the bathroom she tried to gather her thoughts as she looked around the place. There were no plastic cups on the floor, no people passed out on the numerous couches inside the house and so she had to conclude that no party had taken place. Her clothes were wrinkled and she smelled like vomit so she had to assume that Stefan and she had drunk a few cocktails.

Bursting into the bathroom, she kicked the door closed behind her and held on to the sink as another wave of nausea took over her. After depositing the contents of her stomach into the toilet, her throat was cotton dry and her eyes itched. She caught her reflection in a ship wheel mirror above the cabinet and stepped back in horror at the sight of her red rimmed eyes and her dry skin. Slashing water on her face, she rinsed out her mouth and stepped back into the hallway lined with baby pictures of Damon and Stefan. There were hardly any pictures of Lily, their mother or Julian, their stepfather but Caroline figured the reason behind that was because this place was more like the brother's hangout rather than a family home.

"Hey" the voice coming from the bundle on the couch was a little more than a croak. Caroline took in the tangle of brown hair, the fiery green eyes that now looked like they had been drained of their energy and nodded back her greeting.

"Hey" she mumbled, crinkling her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked, sitting up in the couch. She rubbed sleep from her eyes with the heel of her hands and tugged at her wrinkled top before plowing a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, I'm just tired and I have this constant urge to hurl which would be ironic if it wasn't so scary." Caroline scratched her arm, her eyes falling to Bonnie's combat boots on the floor next to a pile of magazines and an empty coffee mug.

"You remember anything from last night?" Bonnie asked and Caroline's pulse kicked up a notch. What was there to remember? Had something bad happened?

"Vaguely. I remember Katherine dragging us to the Kappa Tau party, I remember loads of people and now here I am waking up in Stefan's arms and you're sleeping on the couch in the lounge." Caroline cocked her head and pursed her lips.

"All that's missing is a chain smoking monkey and a face tattoo and I'd be in The Hangover 2." The blonde added, a faint smile crossing her lips.

"Yeah, uhm… well I thought it best if I gave Stefan some space so he could take care of you." Bonnie replied, picking up her jacket and shoes from the floor.

"I know you're not Mother Teresa so you wanna fill me in on what's really happening here?"

"Morning." Stefan materialized in the doorway, rubbing his sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand. His mop of sandy brown hair grazed his prominent eyebrows before he pushed it back from his brow.

"Stefan." Bonnie shot him a glance, a small smile flitting across her face.

Caroline dove right in with her questions; she didn't have time to beat around the bush, "What's going on, Stefan?"

He exchanged a look with Bonnie before clearing his throat and looking back at the blonde.

"Spencer Montgomery slipped a roofie in your drink last night." He said, the tips of his ears burning red.

"What?" Caroline's back stiffened, her eyebrows shot up and a patch of red rushed to her cheeks.

"Katherine and I found you passed out in Tyler Lockwood's room." Bonnie explained, licking her lower lip before she captured it between her teeth.

"Did he…?" she whispered, keenly aware of the break in her voice.

"No." Bonnie was quick to respond and Caroline breathed a sigh of relief.

"But no doubt that's what he was planning to do." Stefan cut in and Bonnie glared at him.

"I need to sit down." Caroline mumbled, looking around blindly for a place on a couch opposite Bonnie.

"We took you to the hospital and the doctors ran some tests. They found traces of the Rohypnol in your system." Stefan said walking over to where she was sitting on the couch. He squatted down in front of her and placed his hands on her knees.

"If you want to lay a charge-"Bonnie's voice sounded faraway and Caroline was not sure she was even present anymore. This was what an out of body experience must feel like, she thought.

"Of course she wants to lay a charge" Stefan spoke for her, snapping at Bonnie.

"We can go down to the police station and open a case of attempted rape against Spencer." Steadily, he told Caroline.

Caroline blinked, shaking her head "Where's my phone? Where's my purse?"

"In the bedroom"

"I need to make a phone call"

"Here, use mine." Bonnie got off the couch and handed Caroline her mobile phone. It was basic, no bedazzled back or fancy keys but it felt warm in Caroline's palm.

"Who're you calling?" Stefan asked.

"My mom."

"We tried calling her last night. The phone went to voicemail." He said and Caroline listened to the dialling tone before lowering the device from her ear.

"It's still going to voicemail." She said hoarsely, lifting her eyes to Stefan.

"Do you wanna go home to your mom?" Bonnie sat back down on the couch, scooted to the edge and grabbed the throw blanket at the edge of the couch, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"She's not there; she had some business meeting in Atlanta. She's trying to launch a new magazine."

"Do you wanna go down to the police station?" Stefan moved to sit on the arm rest next to Caroline and reached for her limp hand.

"Gosh darn it, what's that gonna solve Stefan? It's the victims they put on trial and I should know cause I'm pre-law." She snapped, snatching her hand away from his.

"And what do you suggest we do, sit here drinking root beer while watching the ocean?" he retorted and lurched from his spot to head over to the windows overlooking the ocean.

The silence in the room stretched before Caroline broke it, "He wasn't a stranger, I mean yes I didn't really know him but he wasn't a stranger in some dark and creepy alley. He's in my Criminal Justice class, he's cute, he's normal. I should've been more careful, I've read about this stuff…I should've known better.

"You can't say that. This wasn't your fault." Bonnie said softly, looking at her.

"That idiot needs to be punished for this." Stefan's voice sounded grave and distant.

"And he will be." Caroline said very matter-of-factly.

"Just not by any court of law." Stefan turned around and looked at the girls, his arms crossed against his chest.

Caroline spoke slowly, "You need to trust me, Stefan."

"How're you going to fight him?" Bonnie asked.

"You let me worry about Spencer Montgomery." She assured both of them.

.

.

Bonnie was hung over and craving a tofu burger with black bean and corn salad. She was rifling through the fridge when she heard Stefan walking into the kitchen.

"You have nothing in your fridge" she said, flinging him a look over her shoulder.

He settled behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder "Well, that was candied yams before the mold took over." He grinned, pointing at a bowl on the middle shelf.

"I haven't been here in a while but judging from the six pack of root beer, Damon's been around here recently."

"We could order some vegetarian pizza"

Bonnie turned around and ran a hand over his chest, "Great…uhm…you can order two mini pizzas, one vegetarian and whatever Caroline and you like. I don't wanna force someone to eat tofu if they don't want to."

"Way ahead of you. Caroline and I will have some sticky pork rinds with extra hot sauce. It's her infamous hangover cure." He snatched a menu off the front of the fridge and tapped his phone. After calling the delivery place, he hung up the phone and pulled Bonnie close, wrapping his arms around her.

She playfully broke free, her palms flat against his chest and whispered "I feel like I'm looking at your life through a looking glass and I'm on the other side."

"What do you mean, are you upset about Caroline?"

"Of course I'm not upset about Caroline" she shook her head, brows furrowed as she searched for the right words to articulate what she wanted to say to him.

"Good because she needs me right now."

"I know that and I'm not saying you shouldn't support her. I guess what I'm saying is that you have this great life, everything is catalogued in individual boxes and I'm not sure where I fit in all of this."

"Let me show you where you fit in." he smiled, sliding his hand around the nape of her slender neck. Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed as she wrapped her arms around his waist. There was a moment of hesitation before his lips captured hers in a warm and tender kiss. She loved the tantalizing warmth of his kiss but it didn't leave her off balance, didn't make her world spin. She had too much going on in her head.

Slowly breaking the kiss, she sighed and asked, "Are we gonna talk about what happened last night?"

"Are you talking about me punching Spencer?"

"No, I'm talking about you hitting someone with your car when we were rushing for the hospital."

"We don't know if what I hit was a person. It could've been a stray dog or something." He rubbed the back of his neck and stepped away from her.

Her gaze roved over his face and she said, "Pity you didn't stick around to find out."

"Okay Angela Lansbury, can we not do this right now? Caroline needs me."

.

.

"Actually date rape is quite prevalent" Katherine mumbled around a mouthful of chips. Her face was still shining with sweat and her palms were equally soaked. Mystic Falls heat far surpassed the heat in Texas and as much as she loved being away from her adoptive parents, she was not a big fan of the summers in the deep south. She wiped her brow with the towel around her neck and wiggled her toes inside her training shoes. She'd done a good mile or two today before Bonnie quit on her and feigned an ankle injury.

"Spencer doesn't even look like a rapist; I mean he's so hot." Liv argued, brushing a hair off her flushed cheek. The rest of the girls stared blankly at her as they packed chips and popcorn into their mouths. They were all in the kitchen preparing for another event with the new Gamma Phi Beta sisters. Kat was surprise they allowed her to sit in on their stupid morning planning, not that she even wanted to be a part of any sisterly bonding but she figured the only reason why she was allowed to be a part of the group this morning was because they thought that she had saved Caroline. Old war wounds were temporarily forgotten because the house now had a common enemy, Spencer Montgomery and Kappa Tau as a whole.

Bonnie's fingers skimmed over her lips and she stared into space, not really looking at any of them "I'm thinking of doing a documentary about it."

"About Caroline's rape?" Lexi shot a look, her nose wrinkling with disgust.

"It was _attempted_ rape and no, I would be shooting a documentary about rape as a universal issue. It wouldn't be about Caroline." She defended herself and after the short buzz around the kitchen, Rebekah barged in with her notepad and Caroline in tow.

.

.

Bonnie connected her cam coder to her laptop and transferred the video footage chronicling her first few weeks at Whitmore. She was sitting at a small coffee shop on campus, watching the crowd outside and they strolled up and down the courtyard.

"Let me guess, hung dot com?"

She looked up to find Kai, hands neatly tucked in his pockets as he nodded at the laptop on the table. When she responded by directing her attention back to the tree lined courtyard and the students swarming around the space, he cleared his throat.

"I hear you're doing a documentary about sexual assault in colleges" he said, taking the seat opposite her and launching his elbows on the table.

"Wow, you got that from the Burn Book?" she asked coolly, picking up her cup of coffee.

"No, Liv."

"Oh yeah, she's the sister who hates your guts."

"You should pick up a copy of How to make friends and influence people."

"You have awful jokes." She scrunched her forehead and pursed her lips.

"So, back to this rumor you heard. Didn't figure you for the type to be concerned about world issues unless they happen in Gotham city" she half-smiled, looking at him through a fringe of eyelashes.

"I care about issues, I recycle and corporate greed makes me wanna poke someone's eye out with a pair of scissors." His lips quirked into a boyish grin, dimpling his cheeks. Bonnie felt a heat flare up the back of her neck and she tore her eyes away from his lips.

"I didn't figure you for the type to join a sorority." Kai said, rapping on the table to get her attention.

"What, sororities aren't evolved enough for you?" she scoffed, glancing up from her laptop screen.

"Should I go get you a fruit cup or a pumpkin spice latte? I know how you girls can't survive without those two food groups"

"Hmm, no but I will take some box wine with a bendy straw."

"Scream Queen lush." He teased, surprisingly kicking her lightly under the table.

Startled, she grinned and kicked him back, "Geek freak."

A moment of tense, tangible silence passed between them before Kai rose from his chair, rubbing both palms down the front of his jeans. Bonnie looked up at him, her eyes travelling the length of his body.

"So if you need any help, I'm here." He said with a shrug.

"What are you gonna do, hold the camera?" she retorted, tapping her nails on the table.

"I have a blog with a decent following." He alerted her then turned on his heel leaving her with something to ponder. She took another sip of coffee as she watched him walk away. By the time she looked back down at her laptop, he was at the door pausing to look back at her. A small smile appeared on his face before he slid the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, walking out the door.

.

.

Caroline tore open the curtains and winced. Too much sunlight, she thought pulling the drapes closed again. The more she thought about what spencer had attempted to do to her, the angrier she got. She picked up her phone and texted the one person she knew could help her sort out her life. By the time she left her room, she felt better about her options and hope sprang back into her eyes.

"There she is, out little Joan of Arc" Rebekah exclaimed in a sing-along voice as Caroline climbed down the stairs.

"I guess _I've been roofied_ doesn't look too great on sorority posters." Caroline said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Are you kidding me? We're gonna use this as part of your presidential campaign and we can finally shut down that godforsaken Kappa Tau house. Caroline, Jesus has taken the wheel."

"You're gonna use the fact that I was drugged in my campaign?"

"It's called politics Caroline. If this doesn't get you the sympathy votes I don't know what will."

"I thought I'd just rely on being named the Alpha Phi Zeta sweetheart."

"Yes, you could but seeing as that you are no longer with Stefan that could be a problem. I could put in a word for you with Marcel and I'm sure the cocktail party next week will change everything." Rebekah smiled, gripping Caroline's upper arms.

"Have you made a choice about the bachelors?" she asked.

"No, I was too busy getting almost raped." Caroline freed herself from the president's grip and tore out the front door before Rebekah could say anything else.

.

.

The Whitmore Grill was the last place she wanted to be but she was feeling numb, frigid and outside herself. She told herself that she was being brave as she pressed through a crowd of people. It was after five and so most of the students were done with their classes and were ready to forget about their disastrous day over a few beers. Finding a corner booth where the music was softer, she took a sit and beckoned one of the waiters.

"Hi"

"Hi, Emma right?" Caroline looked about up the brown haired girl with a glimmer in her brown eyes.

"Elena." She corrected her, dropping her eyes to the purse laying on the table.

"Right. You work here?"

Pulling a pen from her pocket, she replied "Yeah, I just started recently and uhmm… I heard about you and that Spencer guy and I just want to-"

"Thank you." Caroline interrupted her. She hadn't come to the Grill for a pity party.

"I'm sorry." Elena said again.

"Thanks. Can I have a whisky?" Caroline swallowed past the lump in her throat and blinked away the tears collecting on her eyelashes.

"Uhm…can I see some ID?"

"Seriously?"

"I'm kidding, one whisky coming right up." Elena smiled and walked back to the bar. As soon as Elena left, Klaus appeared on her right hand side looking as dapper as ever in a pair of dishevelled jeans and a distressed brown t-shirt.

"You summoned, love?" he drawled, sliding inti the chair opposite her. They smiled at each other and then Klaus picked up the menu as if he would ever dare to eat actual food at the Grill.

"Thanks for coming" her gaze rose back to his face.

"I heard about what happened with Spencer" he said quietly, looking intently at her.

"I bet you thought I'd crawl away somewhere and hide."

"No, you're Caroline Forbes remember?" he leaned over the table, dimples denting his cheeks and winked at her. Caroline sucked in a breath and glanced at his hand which was a whisper away from touching hers.

"Now, are we gonna commiserate over jello shots and too much scotch?" Klaus teased as Elena came back with Caroline's drink. He ordered his own poison and stole a glance at Elena as she walked off before fixing his gaze back on Caroline.

"I have fantasies about cutting his head off and burying him in an ancient burial ground." The blonde took a gulp from her glass and tightened her grip around it.

"Are you familiar with the Ancient Indian burial ground horror trope?" Klaus arched an eyebrow, his lips curving into a smirk.

Ignoring his brand of humour, Caroline announced, "I need your help with Spencer."

"My help?"

"Payback."

"If you want someone to help you with Spencer why not ask Stefan?"

"Stefan is not skilled in the art of revenge."

"And what am I, your Nolan Ross?" he grinned, tracing her face with his eyes.

"You're my sounding board." Caroline leaned over the table, her face mere inches from his.

Klaus countered with a bashful smile, "I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't but I still need you."

"If that's the case then it's fair to say that Spencer has earned everything that's coming to him."

.

.

"I guess you're officially my little." Caroline said, sizing Bonnie up as the brunette placed her bags on the new bed opposite Caroline's.

"If that's your polite way of welcoming me then I'll take it." Bonnie replied with a sigh and plopped down on the bare mattress.

Caroline folded her arms, tapping her foot on the floor "I heard you're thinking about doing some documentary about rape and-"

Bonnie said up abruptly, elbows resting on her knees "Look Caroline, I understand how you must be feeling right now but this is not about you, it's not about violating your feelings or using your story. This is about-"

"I want in."

"What?" Bonnie asked with a flash of alarm in her eyes.

"I want to help you shed light on the issue."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I want to fight back." Caroline nodded, placing both hands on her hips. The alert on Bonnie's phone broke their little moment and both girls rolled their eyes, smiling at each other.

"Hold that thought" Bonnie held up a finger and rooted around her bag for her phone. She pulled it out and opened the new text message.

" _I know what you did last night."_ She read the caption and scrolled down to the photo. It was a fuzzy picture of Stefan's car running over someone or something, the next picture was of the car leaving the scene of the accident, the same accident they'd been involved in the night they took Caroline to the ER.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, are you okay?"

…


	7. Dont Ax, Dont Tell

"I'm fine" Bonnie stammered, her eyes wild with fear as she stared at the phone in her trembling hands.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked cautiously.

Taking a deep breath to wad off the knots in her stomach, she looked up at Caroline and smiled. "Yeah, it's-its's just my dad."

"I remember you said something about the two of you not being that close?" Caroline sat down on the edge of her bed and leaned forward so that her elbows were resting on her knees.

"Yeah-uhm…not since my mom passed away."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, "Bonnie breathed then redirected the question at Caroline, "You close to your dad?"

"He's out in New York running Forbes Industries so no, not really."

"Busy man."

"Aren't they all?"

"Well at least you still have your mom around."

"You know she used to be the president of this sorority?" Caroline asked with a scoff. She leaned back with her head on a pillow and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh yeah?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow. She wasn't really listening to her new sister because her mind was still reeling about the message she had just received on her phone.

"I guess that's partly why I want this so badly." Caroline continued and Bonnie looked past her and at the gilt mirror above the blonde's vanity desk where she spotted a picture of Stefan tucked in the frame of the mirror. The fact that Caroline still had a picture of Stefan on display didn't bother her because she had more pressing things on her mind. She thought about the text message again and the possibility of what Stefan and her had done. Worry niggled at her she scrolled down her phone to find Stefan's number. Her thumb poised over the buttons but she shook her head and decided she could talk to Stefan in the morning.

Right now she needed to unpack her boxes.

..

Damon swiped a pair of jeans off the floor and pulled them on. His eyes felt gritty and the bruising around his eye from the brawl last night was still blue and swollen. Fuck it, it was going to be a very long week.

He was in the process of rifling through his cluttered floor for a t-shirt to wear when he had the chanting. Slowly he straightened up his back and crept toward a window where he discovered a band of protestors marching toward the frat house carrying banners and blaring horns.

Shit.

Leaning out of the open window, he watched the protestors and shook his head. This was very bad news. The horns were loud but not loud enough to muffle out the chant; say no to rape culture, ban the frat house!

"It's quite a circus down there."

Startled, Damon looked up to find Vicky Donovan leaning against the door frame with her thumbs hooked into the empty belt loops of her faded jeans. He wasn't surprised to see her and figured that she's been sleeping in Tyler's bedroom.

He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his rumpled hair and shrugged, "Rightfully so I guess."

He waved her in, his eyes darting back to the mob outside.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a fad there'll find something new to obsess over soon enough." She finally stepped over the threshold and whistled low when she saw the mess that was his bedroom.

"I have a meeting with the Dean in ten minutes." Damon explained, not that he needed to but he felt like he needed to since he was taking to task and looking for another shirt again.

"You seem nervous and that's not like you." She bit the corner of her bottom lip, her gaze dropping to the pile of clothes on the floor in front of him.

"I guess I care about this stupid frat house after all." Damon gave a low chuckle but his gut clenched all the same because he knew that it wasn't bullshit. He did care and he didn't have a devil may care attitude, at least not when it came to Kappa Tau Beta.

"Or you just care about your legacy." Vicky shrugged her shoulders as if to punctuate the point that she thought he was nothing more than a selfish narcissist.

He pushed his hands through his hair again then reached into a new pile and retrieved a black t-shirt with the words Pearl Jam stamped on it.

"Don't you have a business shirt or something?"

When he raised an eyebrow, she waved the question away because she remembered that this was Damon after all.

"Well, good luck." She shook her head, slapping the door with the hand before disappearing out into the hallway.

Damon loped out onto the lawn, past the frat boys hanging out on lawn chairs and porches baking in the sun. They were watching the protest with vague interest and it seemed like they were going to make an event of it because he could hear the distant his of beer cans being opened.

He skipped past a few pledges clearing the lawn out from last night's party. They gathered glasses, cigarette stumps, toilet papers, forgotten shoes and lost bras and piled the clothes in one stack and the trash in black plastic bags. Damon smiled, careful not to nod and seem too appreciative because they had yet to prove themselves.

He slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses to shield his eyes from the glare of the morning sun and made his way to the Dean's office

..

"Mr. Salvatore." Came the greeting as soon as Damon entered the office.

"Dean Shane." Damon offered his lopsided grin in an attempt to seem charming bit he doubted that it would work.

"Have a seat." Atticus gestured to a chair in front of his desk. The office was dark as not much sunlight filtered through the small windows and the wall to wall wood panelling added to the gloom. The massive desk and antique globe on the dean's desk reminded him of Julian's office where he and Stefan had spent many an afternoon waiting for his stepfather to wrap up work before they could go out for dinner with Lilly. They really tried to sell the idea of a family unit back then but it was always smoke and mirrors.

Damon shifted in his seat and adjusted the back of his collar.

Atticus Shane waved to the bruises on Damon's face with his hand, "Looks like you took some punches."

"You should see the other guy, "he chuckled back, "besides it was for a good cause."

"Really?"

"Fighting for the honor of a damsel in distress is a good cause is it not? I stepped to the plate and played the reluctant hero."

"This is a serious matter Mr. Salvatore." He warned.

"I know."

"Pending Mr. Montgomery's suspension-"

"Suspension?" Damon interrupted him, a frown marring his face.

"Yes."

"I thought the board would kick him out for what he did."

"Well it would seem Mr. Montgomery's father is very influential. So persuasive in fact that the board insists that Mr. Montgomery remains a member of Kappa Tau Beta after the suspension has been lifted. This is the only way you can hope to keep your fraternity in operation."

"You can't be serious." Damon shook his head, running a trembling hand through his rumpled hair. He rose from his chair and headed for the door, not bothering to wait for the Dean to excuse him. He'd listened enough. Sure he wanted his fraternity, he wanted to keep his family intact but he certainly didn't want Spencer to go unpunished.

"I'm afraid I am." Atticus scoffed, his hands clasped together under his chin "Speaking of uhm...persuasive it would seem that your father also played a role in persuading the board."

"You mean stepfather." He corrected the Dean then shut the door behind him. He hated the idea that Julian was around meddling in his life. The last thing he wanted was his assistance with anything.

..

Caroline twirled one long hair around her finger and tapped her pencil against her desk. She couldn't concentrate and her chest tightened whenever someone looked at her. She felt like she had the word victim scribbled across her forehead and she couldn't scrub it off. She swallowed down the dryness in her throat and stared at a spot on the blackboard in front of the class.

When she saw Klaus standing at the door she couldn't help but smile. Her heart thrilled when he beckoned her and she packed up her books hurriedly, hopping past her professor and out into the hallway. By the time she reached Klaus, she reeled in the butterflies in her stomach and schooled her features into cool apathy.

"How about we have a meeting in my dorm room?" he asked, not bothering with a greeting.

"What about the library?" she countered falling into step with him. She noted how good he smelled as his shoulder bumped against hers.

"Nefarious schemes are not conducted in a student library Caroline. It's not sexy."

"Stefan might see me."

"And you care because?" he raised a sceptical eyebrow and she swallowed trying to remember why she cared if Stefan saw her. They might not have been sworn enemies anymore since he helped rescue her but they were far from friends. What he did to her, the reckless way in which he'd broken her heart still hurt.

"I promise Stefan will not see you." Klaus assured her.

They managed to enter Alpha Zeta Phi undetected and climbed the stairs to Klaus's room. She shut the door hurriedly just in case Stefan was still lurking in his room which was across from Klaus's.

Clicking his tongue, he stole a glance at her and moved to the bar where he assembled a drink for himself. Caroline wasn't too surprised to find a bar in his dorm room because it seemed very much like him; smarmy and entitled. He lifted a decanter and offered her drink and with a nonchalant shrug, she accepted. Why not, she thought? She was already getting into bed with him so she might as well be smarmy with him.

Caroline wrapped her hands around the glass but her eyes never left him. She watched as he opened his laptop and settled in front of it. He worked quietly for a few minutes before breaking the silence.

"You're staring." He observed.

"Perhaps I'm just fond of watching wildlife."

When he scoffed she continued, "So how do we go about this?"

"First rule of revenge Care-bear, know thy enemy."

"Spencer is an only child and his parents divorced when he was seven years old. His father is Benjamin Montgomery. He dabbles in real estate and owns a couple of small boutique hotels in New York."

"Apparently his father is very guarded and staunch about upholding the proud family name."

"I guess attempted rape is not enough to blemish the family name."

"I'm sure he just views this as boys being boys. To him it's hardly a scandal let alone a crime."

"Well whatever you're planning you better do it fast. I hear he's just been suspended and I'm sure he'll go away for a while to gather his thoughts."

"Let's hope he goes to New York."

"Why?"

"I think we could do with a weekend away. Don't you?" he winked, shutting the laptop with a snap.

..

Today Stefan's bedroom walls seemed to be closing in on her. They were arguing about the text she had received and Stefan was being stubborn.

Both of their phones buzzed and they checked to see if it was a burn book blast or Bonnie's new stalker. There was a new text message from whoever had sent Bonnie the first one. When they scrolled down they discovered a picture of a homeless man lying on the ground on the side of the road.

"Shit! Is this the person we ran over?" Bonnie asked, a trembling hand over her mouth.

"What the hell was he doing in the middle of the highway anyway?" Stefan's gaze darted to Bonnie and then back to the phone in his hand.

Tossing the phone on his bed, she massaged her temples "I don't know probably hitchhiking but does it really matter?"

"There was no blood anywhere on my car." Stefan insisted as he paced the length of the room.

"We should call the police." Her voice sounded faint.

"No" a muscle leaped in his jaw

"No?" she looked up at him with uncertain eyes.

"Not yet, look we just need to figure out what this is exactly. We haven't heard about any missing person and no homicide has been reported in the news."

"You want us to keep this quiet?"

"Until we figure it all out."

"Stefan my mom was killed by some drunk driver in a hit and run. How can you expect me to go along with this?"

"I know it's hard and I wouldn't ask this of you but Bon please just give me some time to figure this out. Trust me." He brought his hands to her shoulders.

"Two days." She spat.

"Six days." He countered

"Fine you have four days to figure it out and then I'm reporting whatever we did out on that highway to the police."

..

Rebekah summoned the girls into the living room area to discuss the pending mixer. Some were clad in their pajamas as they were getting ready for bed.

"Saturday night we are hosting the Alpha Zeta Phi boys for cocktails." She announced boldly, "Now I don't have to remind you to be on your best behaviour. Remember we are Gamma Phi Beta girls and we have a reputation to uphold.

"Friday night, however is the crush mixer. Liv and Lexi have been gracious enough to plan the barbeque since Caroline and I have been busy planning Saturday's cocktail mixer."

There was a hum in the room which Rebekah stilled by raising her hand.

"Now off you go, get those crush baskets ready and remember, only Gamma Phi Beta worthy boys allowed."

..

"This isn't a good idea." Bonnie remarked while Katherine rewrote Liv's card to Aaron Whitmore. She wrote down Enzo's name in place of Aaron's and sealed the card back in its small envelope.

"Why not? Its fun and I'm sure that Liv and Lexi wont mind that I swapped their Alpha Zeta Phi crush baskets for a few Kappa Tau Beta cuties" Katherine shot Bonnie a quick glance then tucked the envelope back inside the crush basket filled with chocolates and a black t-shirt that stated that a Gamma Phi Beta had a crush on the wearer of said t-shirt.

"Are you forgetting what happened at Kappa Tau Beta the other night?"

"No and its all the more season to go over there and bring a little cheer to those boys."

"One of those boys will be arrested for attempted rape."

"Exactly and that's no reason why some of them should be punished for one dickhead's actions."

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"You think Kappa Tau Beta should be shut down don't you? You think one bad apple spoils the bunch?"

"Yes and yes it would certainly set an example." Bonnie said, thrusting out her chin.

"That stupid frat house is Damon's life. It's his legacy and most of those stupid frat boys are his family. I know you don't know Damon but he's a great guy."

"No doubt he's who you're giving your crush basket to then"

"Yup. I'm giving mine to Damon." Katherine nodded with a satisfied smirk.

"How does this work anyway? How will they know who the baskets are from?"

"When we present the boys with the baskets they have to give us an item of clothing for their crush to wear at the barbecue."

"He'll see a girl wearing his t-shirt or something and know that's his crush?"

"Pretty much."

Bonnie picked up a card from one basket and read it, "Roses are red, violets are blue, a Gamma Phi Beta has a crush on you."

By the time they reached Kappa Tau Beta the number of protestors parked on the lawn had dwindled but the frat boys were still stippled across the lawn like confetti. In the sober light of day Bonnie could really take in the frat house. It was smaller and older than Alpha Zeta Phi but the poor boys were still proud enough to paint the letters of their house on the door.

The place really was falling apart. Bonnie's eyes darted to the peeling paint on the walls and the dirty windows and shook her head. The screen door exploded open as they reached it and a couple of boys tumbled out before it snapped shut again. Katherine pushed the door open again and they made their way inside the sweaty, ripe interior of the house. They moved past a cracked hallway bathed in sunlight and up the stairs to find Damon.

After three rapid knocks, the door flew open and Damon stood there looking dishevelled in his jeans and bare chest. His gaze slowly drifted down Bonnie, taking in her tank top and jeans before he turned to give Kat a lopsided grin.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, standing casually against the door frame, one hand tucked down the front of his jeans. Bonnie fought the urge to look down at whatever he was doing with his hand down there and fixed her eyes on his face.

"Crush baskets." Katherine gestured to the baskets in her hand and prompted Bonnie to do the same. With a grunt he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him then led them downstairs to the living room area.

"You have three kegs in the middle of your living room!" Bonnie exclaimed, pointing.

"There's an interesting story connected to those kegs. We thought we'd mix up some signature beers and have a party to decide which blend was the best."

"Riveting." She rolled her eyes, astounded by the fact that they were still drinking and having fun like nothing happened.

"How about a game of beer pong?" he suggested, the corner of his mouth kicking up.

"It's three o'clock in the afternoon." Bonnie eyed him sceptically.

Suddenly he stepped closer to her, the scent of his aftershave washing over her "Is it true that all tree huggers are bisexual nymphomaniacs?"

"Is it true that all frat boys are perpetual dicks?" Bonnie cocked her head and stood her ground.

"Care to find out?" he teased, his gaze dipping to her chest.

"Here's your crush basket, you can go ahead and choke on it." She shoved the basket at him, bruising his chest in the process.

"Okay kids, play nice" Kat cut in and Enzo and a few other boys entered the room to take a look at the baskets. Stepping back from Bonnie, Damon hooked his arm around Katherine's waist while Bonnie greeted Enzo. He suggested they go out back to take the baskets to the rest of the guys and she eagerly followed him, glad to have Damon out of her sight.

By the time she made it back to the living room to collect Kat so they could high-tail it out of there, she spotted Damon and Katherine in the hallway having a moment. She watched as he hooked his finger into the waistband of Katherine's jeans, pulling her closer.

Katherine slipped her arms around his neck and whispered something in his ear. Bonnie's stomach knotted as her eyes fixed on Damon's hands stroking down Kat's back until they cupped her ass, squeezing it for good measure. She couldn't move and stood completely still as the couple began kissing, Damon gripping Katherine's ass tighter and Kat pressing firmly into him. Bonnie swallowed past the lump in her throat and was about to swing back around to look for Enzo when Damon's eyes met hers. She stilled, struck by the intensity in his blue eyes as they held hers. He continued to kiss and stroke Katherine's ass but his eyes focused on Bonnie, teasing and challenging her. She sucked in a deep breath as blood raced to her cheeks and cleared her throat.

"Sorry." She half chuckled, raising her hand, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Actually you are. You're interrupting an adult conversation." Damon waggled his brows and draped an arm around Katherine's shoulder.

Ignoring Damon, she directed her eyes toward Kat and asked "Uhm-you ready to go?"

With a small nod, Katherine slapped Damon's ass and followed Bonnie out to the front door.

"See you later, home wrecker" Damon called, a smile teasing his voice.

"Not if I see you first, man-whore." Bonnie spat back.

..

Katherine's voice preceded her as she made her way into Caroline and Bonnie's bedroom. Bonnie swung to face her and abandoned the papers on her desk. Katherine leaned against the door, her crop top grazing her ribs. She pulled out a chicken nugget sprinkled with ketchup from the bag and popped it into her mouth.

"Are we okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?" Bonnie responded, her eyes wide.

"Cause I feel like since you saw me and Damon in the hallway this morning …well you've been acting weird." She said, holding up a nugget.

"Weird how?"

"I don't know I just feel like there's tension between us."

"Nope, we're cool."

"You sure?"

"Yeah I mean I just didn't know you were dating with Damon Salvatore."

"I'm not dating him. We just fuck from time to time."

"Thanks for the clarity."

"Hey, you know I thought you were a cool chick."

"I am."

"But?"

"I just don't like him. I think he's a dick and that you deserve better than Damon Salvatore."

"Better won't touch me with a ten foot pole."

"That's not true."

"I've been around the block enough to know what I deserve princess… besides I like guys with grit and Damon has bucket loads of it."

"Oh he's got loads of something all right." Bonnie noted with a scoff.

"I'll see you down stairs."

..

The smell of grilling meat wafted through the air.

Bonnie weaved her way through the crowd and lifted a tropical cocktail from a tray being toted around by one of Alpha Zeta Phi pledges. Marcel had been kind enough to lend the assistance of their pledges to Gamma Phi Beta for the evening. She admired the plastic lei around his neck before brushing past him. She wasn't feeling particularly social tonight, not since the evening of the text message. She scanned the crowd again and found Stefan with his back to her. He was talking to one of his frat brothers next to a snack bar.

Bonnie approached him and tapped him on his shoulder. When he turned to face her there was a hint of a smile on his face but it wasn't broad or bright like before. The text had changed things between them, she was sure of it.

"There you are." He tried to sound casual but she picked up the strain in his voice.

"Nice party ha?" she smiled then signalled to his oversized t-shirt which she had paired with denim shorts, "Thanks for the loan"

"You're welcome" he nodded, glimpsing back out toward the crowd.

"I wish I could go back and erase everything that happened that night from Caroline's roofie thing to what we did but I can't." Bonnie blurted.

"You don't even know if we did anything."

"What about the pictures?"

"What about them? What do you they prove? Some anonymous person sends us random pictures of my car and a dead homeless person. It proves nothing."

They lapsed into silence before she shook her head, glaring at him "You're unbelievable."

"Can we not discuss this here?" Stefan asked, grabbing her arm.

"This is not an episode of How to get away with murder, Stefan." She freed her arm from his grip and slapped his hand away.

"I'm not discussing this here."

"Fine then we're done."

"Are you breaking up with me?" he frowned, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"I need a break. I just need to think." Bonnie drained the remainder of her drink and handed the empty glass to a dumbstruck Stefan.

..

Seeing Stefan with Bonnie was still like a punch in the stomach. She still couldn't get used to seeing them together. Averting her eyes from the intimate moment between the couple, Caroline searched the crowd and spotted Marcel and Rebekah flirting with each other from across the room. She wondered how long they could keep their relationship from Klaus. She risked a glance Klaus's way then sneaked a look at her dress in the mirror before seeking him out with her eyes again.

When she couldn't find him again she panicked.

"Good evening, love."

Startled by the voice coming from behind her, Caroline spun around to find Klaus with a glass in his hand.

"Nice party. I guess we have to thank the social chair for this one." He smiled and Caroline discovered that she liked the dimples on his cheeks.

"You're welcome." She rolled her eyes instead and feigned disinterest at his complement.

"Social chair and soon to be president of Gamma Phi Beta." He continued, his gaze sweeping down her body slowly as if he were undressing her. She took a hasty step backward and collided with the wall and that's when he made his move. Klaus placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned closer, his lips barely an inch away from hers. In that moment the crowd around them disappeared and blood rushed in her ears. All she could see were his lips and all she could feel was his breath fanning her lips. Klaus wanted to kiss her and darn it she wanted him to.

"We could just let nature take its course." he whispered and she almost agreed before jolting herself awake. She ducked under the cage of his arms and stepped to the side.

"Business first, ." she smiled before sauntering off to enjoy the party.

..

If it was meant to be then they'd be together again. Stefan told this to himself as he entered the Grill for a drink. Bonnie was confused and the event that had taken place in the past couple of days hadn't helped. What if he really had hit someone that night? What if he did kill someone?

With a sigh he sank into a chair at the corner of the long bar and rested his chin in his hand. He listened to the hum of conversation in the bar and toyed with the salted nuts that were in a small bowl on the bar.

"Rough night?"

He looked up to find a girl with dark hair tied into a messy ponytail. She smiled and reached for the cloth hanging from her shoulder.

"You could say that." Stefan narrowed his eyes, trying to remember her name. He knew she'd been Bonnie's roommate before Bonnie moved into the sorority house but couldn't remember her name. Not wanting to embarrass himself, he shot a look at her chest where he hoped to find a name tag pinned to her top but all he found was one strap the of her tank top sliding off her shoulder.

"Are you good?" she asked.

"Yeah. Can I have a beer?" Stefan nodded to a mosaic of beer logos behind her. She brought his beer, opened it and placed it in front of him. Her grin was infectious, he thought as he reached for the cold bottle.

Stefan raised it to his lips, "Bottoms up, Ella."

"Its Elena" she corrected him, smiling with uncertainty before her hand came down to rest on his hand, "hey, keep you head up. You'll be fine."

"Thanks." He returned her smile, comforting warmth coursing through him emanating from where her hand rested. He glanced down at her hand and then back at her face taking in her big brown eyes and the tender way she was looking at him. When she took her hand away and turned to serve another customer, the feeling disappeared and he wondered if he had just imagined it. He lifted his beer again and took another greedy swig. As he raised the bottle for his third mouthful he heard a voice coming from his left hand side.

"Hello, brother."

With the bottle half way to his lips, Stefan stilled and the smile slipped from his face. He turned slowly, his grip tightening around the bottle.

"Silas."


	8. A Pain in the Neck

"You owe me a beer." Silas grinned, leaning into the bar and invading Stefan's treasured space. He smiled the smile of the devil himself, Stefan thought narrowing his eyes at him.

Silas was his half-brother, a son his mother had given birth to before meeting his father, Giuseppe. He'd bounced around from relative to relative because Giuseppe had wanted no part in raising him and then finally after Giuseppe died, lived with them for a year. Then came Julian and Silas was off again, this time grifting in L.A and Vegas. Always playing the hustle, constantly planning a con. That was Silas for you.

"I don't owe you anything." Stefan hissed, a muscle jumping in his jaw.

Ignoring his simmering temper, Silas winked and said "Better yet, I think I'll have bourbon"

He beckoned for Elena and ordered bourbon for himself and another beer for Stefan. Then pulling out a stool, he shrugged out of his leather jacket and dumped it on the counter. He sidled up next to his younger brother and patted his back.

Stefan flinched and jerked away "What are you doing here?"

"Getting an education." Silas replied with a widening grin. He was enjoying this, Stefan thought wearily.

"Last I heard you were running some shitty bar in L.A"

Silas barked out a laugh, "You've been checking up on me little brother; I'm flattered by your concern."

"I don't give one iota about you." Stefan lowered his voice as Elena placed their drinks in front of them.

Silas picked up his bourbon, sniffed it then took a sip, savoring the taste. "Where's the love baby brother?"

"Don't call me that." Stefan spat back.

"Tsk, tsk, I see you haven't dropped the sour attitude." Silas shook his head, waggling a finger at Stefan.

Then taking another pull from his bottle he announced," The bar was destroyed in a fire a few months back."

"No doubt you played a part in that. Was it for the insurance money?"

"Ask me no tales and I'll tell you no lies." Silas simply said and downed the rest of his bourbon.

Stefan stared at his beer for a long time before asking "Where are you staying?"

"Lillian was kind enough to let me stay at the beach house."

"She wouldn't."

"Oh but she did. You can come around for a barbecue sometime. I hear it's the thing in Mystic Falls."

Stefan shoved his stool bar and stood. He took out his wallet and slapped a few bills on the bar.

"May you rot in hell." He said fiercely staring at Silas before stomping off.

"It's a good thing you're not driving. I hear the roads are rather sleek this evening." Silas yelled at Stefan's back then picked up the beer Stefan had left behind untouched and took a long draw.

..

"Let me guess, Stefan's shirt?" Damon pointed to the shirt with the red tumbler in his hand. Bonnie swung a look over her shoulder at the party in progress inside of the house and pushed him back, leading him away from the curious eyes.

"You shouldn't be here." She hissed, crossing her arms. They were standing outside on the roofed porch now, the scent of azaleas wafting around them.

"Why not?" he pushed back his shaggy hair from his forehead and took another swig from his tumbler.

"Firstly because Bekah doesn't like you especially with the latest scandal involving Kappa Tau and secondly if she saw you should would kill you."

"I'll take my chances." He started pushing past her again but she reached for his arm and pulled him back. The nerve endings on his arm leapt to attention on contact.

"And another thing. I want you to stay away from Katherine." She scolded, her eyes narrowed into slits to emphasize her point.

Damon staggered back a little and blinked owlishly at her "I beg your pardon?"

"I think you're slime and she deserves better than you."

"Now listen-"

"Are you in love with her?" she cut him off.

Rolling his eyes, he gave her a smug smile "Love is overrated. You need to keep it simple, casual, transient, no names, no expectations." He waved a hand, swallowing the lump in his throat. He'd never wanted to mean anything to anybody because meaning something to somebody meant that person could mean something to you too.

She regarded him with her eyes and said, "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard in a long time."

"It's not sad; it's called letting loose, having fun…surviving."

"How can you survive something you've never experienced?" she cocked an eyebrow and before Damon could respond she was walking away leaving him to soak in his beer stench.

..

"I hear you guys are having your tedious cocktail mixer this evening." Damon said. He was lying on the pool table looking like a lifeless animal nursing a hang-over. It was Saturday and his eyes were closed in an effort to keep the shards of sunlight streaming through the windows at bay.

"I don't think I'm going." Stefan replied and massaged the back of his neck.

Peering at his brother through his half-closed eyes, Damon smiled "Trouble in La-la land? What's happening between you and DC?"

"Nothing." Stefan walked to the cooler, took out two beers and tossed one at Damon.

Finally giving up his battle with the sun, Damon retrieved a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slipped then on. "Really cause I sense a bit of tension there and fucking up is usually my specialty"

"My problems with Bonnie are the least of my worries." He shook his head and rubbed a wet palm down the front of his jeans. Sensing something amiss in his voice, Damon bolted up and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Silas is in town." Stefan informed him grimly.

"That bastard blowing back into town is bad news." Damon glowered at his brother and swung his legs over the pool table.

"He's staying at the beach house."

"Good. I might just pay him a little visit."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Stefan shook his head and knocked back the rest of his beer. The last place he wanted to be was the beach house when Damon and Silas clashed heads.

..

"This seat taken?" Stefan stood over her, his hands wrapped around a chair opposite hers.

"Stefan." She blinked at him and began shuffling the papers in front of her, clearing out a spot for him. She inched her laptop closer her to her but did not close it.

"Can we talk?" he sat down and tucked his chair closer to the table. His gaze flitted briefly around the coffee shop before settling on her again.

"This week has been kind of messy." He explained, looking at her.

"Tell me about it." Bonnie nodded, sat back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest.

Biting the corner of his lower lip, he chuckled. "I thought you might want to know that I don't like me very much right now."

"Its not fair making me live with the choices you make because this affects both of us." Binnie said slowly, emphasizing the words so that he could understand her.

"I was behind the wheel. This doesn't really affect you. You're not the one that would be facing charges."

"Maybe not but it affects my moral compass" she expelled a breath "I've always done the right thing."

"So have I."

"Then do the right thing now, Stefan."

"I get it. I'm inadequate and you don't like me very much right now." He reached across the table for her hands and brushed her skin with the pads of his fingers.

"I don't think I know you very well right now." She agreed but didn't pull back from his touch. "Go to the police, hire a lawyer. This was an accident."

"Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise." He told her but his mind was already churning.

He suspected Silas to be the one behind the texts but he needed proof. What good would it do to tell Bonnie about that? She wasn't concerned about the blackmail or whatever Silas was trying to pull. All she wanted was for him to do the right thing.

..

The best way to get over somebody was to get under somebody else. Maybe she'd spent too much time crying over Stefan and darn it her body needed a man's touch.

Klaus.

Caroline shivered at the Thought of his touch. The feel of his fingers trailing along her spine, his lush lips on her collarbone and his erection pressed against her. She hadn't had bulimic episode in days and maybe he was the reason for that.

She wasn't dysfunctional anymore. Not broken.

This new idea of wanting him, albeit in a casual manner but this new idea was a sliver of hope. This idea was her protection from the pain of being Caroline Forbes, social chair, presidential candidate, straight A student, daughter of the year, high school homecoming queen, debutante…Caroline Forbes. She was all these things and more.

This idea was her release.

New York was just a short week away. She would be in New York, alone in Manhattan with Klaus or as alone as anybody can be on that overcrowded island.

She smiled at her reflection and forced her concentration back to task of choosing a dress for the cocktail mixer.

Standing inside a stall with a wall of mirrors, she adjusted the thin straps of the nude colored dress and swept the feathers on its train behind her. She chewed the inside of her cheek and turned around to view the back of the dress. It dipped low exposing her peachy skin. She'd left the task of buying a dress until the last minute but most boutiques still kept dresses on hold for her. She owed their indulgence to her mother since most boutiques wanted their dresses to be shown in her magazines.

When her phone rang from her bag, she jumped and fished it out.

It was her mother.

"Hi"

"Hey, I'm back."

"Great." Caroline responded, noting the edge in her own voice. She was still angry at having not been able to reach her mother since the incident at Kappa Tau.

"I have a surprise for you."

I have a surprise for you too. I was almost raped and you weren't here, Caroline thought but said nothing.

"Swing by the house later." Her mother quickly added.

"I cant. We're having the cocktail mixer tonight."

"Okay, tomorrow then. Let's make it brunch." She insisted. She sounded happy-too happy.

"Sure." Caroline mumbled and dropped the call.

"Hey, you alright in there?" Liv and Katherine shouted from behind the door.

"Yeah, I think I found the perfect dress." Caroline announced, finally stepping out of the stall.

..

 _A/N: Short but think of it as a filler chapter. Again, thanks for the reviews and the love._


	9. Along Comes Trouble

Bonnie didn't feel like being social tonight so she clung to the corners of the crowded room watching other people have fun.

The Gamma Phi Beta cocktail party was an elegant affair with boys looking dapper in their Fraternity blazers and khakis and girls looking sophisticated in their colourful cocktail dresses. The glint of overheads lights from the chandelier bounced off her glass as she lifted it for another sip.

She spotted Stefan at the edge of her vision and closed her eyes momentarily. She thought about bolting, running off to find Katherine or Caroline but thought better of it. She was in no mood to talk to Stefan because they always ended up talking about the fateful night of the supposed accident and she didn't feel like rehashing the same old tale tonight. He came over to her, another boy following shortly behind.

"Hi" Stefan spoke softly.

"Hi." Bonnie forced herself to smile but it was a tense smile that never reached her eyes.

Sensing her uneasiness, he forced his eyes to travel past her and over the room "Nice party."

"Well you can thank Caroline for that." Bonnie smiled, pointing towards the blonde with her glass. Stefan and the dark haired boy followed her eyeline across the room to where Caroline stood conversing with Aaron Whitmore.

"You look beautiful." his eyes swept over her taking in the black dress revealing the expanse of her shapely legs.

Bonnie took another sip of her drink and swallowed, "Thanks."

"Hi there."

"Oh…uhm-this is Liam Davis."

"Hi, I'm Bonnie." she shifted her weight to the other leg and stretched out a hand to shake Liam's hand.

"I know. Stefan talks about you all the time."

"Ok. Well it's great to finally meet you. Thank you for your advice about the rophenol given to Carline. It helped."

Liam nodded and his eyes drifted back to Stefan before falling on Bonnie again. The silence stretched and she felt even more awkward. She drained her glass, pressed her lips together and stared into it in a bid to avoid Stefan's gaze.

"I'm gonna get a refill." she quickly announced and slipped through the crowd before either ne of them could stop her.

"Hey, you're not bailing out are you?" Caroline asked with a frown and Bonnie shook her head.

"I'm really tired." she smiled apologetically and wondered if Caroline could sense the real reason for her early departure but she didn't want to dwell on that.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you before you fly out to New York tomorrow so we'll talk then." Bonnie rested her hand on the wooden banister and cast another quick glance across the room. Stefan had joined Klaus and Rebekah and while the other two were engaged in conversation, he was peering over their heads looking for someone. Bonnie knew that someone would be her and before Stefan could thread his way to her she wanted to get away.

"Sure. Good night." Caroline patted her shoulder and watched as Bonnie mounted the stairs. Then she turned to go back and mingle with the Alpha Zeta Pi boys, melting into the cheerful crowd.

..

The salty smell of the ocean filled Damon's lungs the moment he stepped out of his car. Everything was quiet except for the soft lapping of water against the pier. He turned away from the moonlight shimmering on the water's surface and mounted the steps leading to the deck of the beach house.

Damon banged his fist against the door until it flung open. He stalked into the house, nostrils flared as he walked past Silas. He stood before Damon wearing a pair of white boxer briefs and nothing else. His curly hair shot in all directions as if he'd had a tumble in bed.

"Damon, to what do I owe the pleasure?

"What are you doing back in town?" Damon seethed, skipping the pleasantries.

"Do I have to repeat the speech I gave Stefan? Because frankly I don't have the time, I have company."

"Silas."

Damon's gaze darted to the direction of the bedrooms where a girl was emerging dressed in a black t-shirt that skimmed her naked thighs.

"Hey." She waved at Damon, her eyes already devouring him.

"What do you want?" Silas turned to her, his smile fading.

"Are you coming back to bed?"

"What's your name again, sweetheart?"

"Sybil." She stated, tossing her dark hair back over her shoulder.

"Be a dear and give us the room."

She hesitated, lingering at the doorway before disappearing back down the hallway.

"As I was saying, I have company."

"I want you out of here by tomorrow morning." Damon ordered, his jaw tightening. The smirk on Silas's face was tipping him over the edge and he was struggling to keep a lid on his temper. His hands knotted into fists, he clenched his jaw.

"Really?" Silas stepped closer to Damon, closing the distance between them, "And how are you going to achieve that?"

With a smirk, Damon turned and headed toward the door. He ripped it open and stomped down the steps again, the boards groaning under his weight.

"Drive safe and give my regards to our little brother." Silas called, a big smile stretching his cheeks. He stood at the threshold and watched Damon go.

..

"Slow night?" Elena gave Stefan a welcoming smile as soon as he stepped inside the Whitmore Grill. He looked tired and defeated like he'd needed to let off some steam. He didn't respond but settled on a bar stool along the bar and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in them.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the all important Gamma Pi Beta cocktail party?" she asked, her lips quirking into a smile. He looked good in his preppy uniform and she couldn't help but smile as he loosened his tie.

"I thought I'd give it a miss."

"Are you okay? Last time I saw you it seemed like you were going through something." she studied him curiously, taking in the tousled hair and pained expression.

"Just some relationship issues."

"Bonnie." Elena offered a name. She knew that he was still dating her former roommate and she guessed that the somewhat scandalous relationship was taking its toll on him.

"You got something to patch me up?" Stefan asked instead.

"Well I could offer you some a few beers to drown your sorrows or I could do you one better and offer you a movie and popcorn. My shift ends in about thirty minutes."

"Uhmm…" Stefan hesitated, taking the warm promise in her brown eyes.

"Look, if you think it's gonna be weird or something then-"She started, sensing his reluctance.

"No. I think that's exactly what I need actually."

"Great. I'll get you one beer to pass the time." Her smile teased as she flung the dishtowel over her shoulder, making her way back to the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of beer.

"Thanks." Stefan murmured and tracked her with his eyes.

..

After the movie, Stefan and Elena sat inside Stefan's car listening to the ticking engine.

"Thanks for a nice evening." He said softly, looking at the darkness ahead beyond the windshield.

Chuckling softly, she tucked a hair behind her ear and said, "Nice has never been one of my favorite adjectives."

There was a long drawn out moment of silence before Stefan heard her move. Slipping onto his lap, she straddled him and brought her hands up to frame his face. She lowered her face, her breath fanning his lips and kissed him slowly and thoroughly. Stefan didn't fight her off because a part of him had known that this was coming. He'd known since the theatre plunged into darkness for the start of the movie, known since her thigh pressed against his as the credits rolled. Then why hadn't he stopped it when he saw where it was leading? Maybe because he needed the harmless distraction.

She undid the first three buttons of his shirt, her purity pledge ring winking against the light from the street lamps outside. Stefan walked his fingers down her chest, tracing the delicate trim of her bra. He loved the feel of her body pressed on top of his. With a low moan, he swept his hands up her back, squeezing her shoulders before capturing the back of her neck.

She tasted so sweet but this was wrong.

He caught her hands and stared at them before speaking, "We shouldn't."

His voice was a low murmur as he touched the ends of her hair. He heard her clear her throat, heard the rustle of her shirt and felt her shift on top of him.

"I'm sorry." She said, looking at his hands on top of her hands.

"Don't be. I should be the one to-"

"Please don't say anything, "her voice was a little more than a whisper of sound as she freed her hands from his. Stefan watched as she gathered her bag and climbed out of his car. When he tried to follow her out onto the sidewalk, she stopped him but because he was simply not that guy he followed her out anyway. He wanted to be a gentleman and walk her to her door.

He lifted his hand, dropped it on her shoulder and felt her slight tremble, "Stay safe."

He gazed down at her face, taking in her wide innocent eyes before shifting his gaze to her mouth. A muscle flexed along his jaw and he forced himself to step back and climb back into his car.

..

Bonnie watched a couple of students tossing around a Frisbee before her eyes drifted to another student riding a bike along a path shaded by a row of cypress trees.

"Kappa Tau is having a bachelor auction. The proceeds are going to a charity to assist victims of domestic violence and rape." Katherine was saying as she scrolled through her mobile phone.

Dragging her gaze back to Katherine and the coffees hop, Bonnie asked "Wow, Damon came up with that all by himself?"

"I might have suggested it."

"See I knew there was a catch."

"Anyway I'm gonna run off. I have a pair of shoes I've been eyeing all week." Katherine drained the rest of her coffee and collected her tote bag.

"You're going off-campus?"

"Yeah. You need something while I'm out."

"Uh not really. No I'm good."

"Okay. See you later."

As Katherine walked out, Bonnie focused her attention back to her open laptop.

"Bonnie."

She looked up to find Kai Parker standing over her, a big smile on his face.

"Kai." She greeted and watched as he tossed a skinny file on the table.

"What's this?" she drew her brows together and looked from him to the file.

"Research on rape culture in colleges." he dropped into the seat in front of her and leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table.

"You ever heard of a memory stick?" she smiled, tapping the tip of a pencil against her lower lip.

"I'm an old fashioned type of guy."

"I can tell."

Bonnie skimmed the report and the notes Kai had carefully made in red ink. She lifted her eyes to find him staring at her.

"Thank you. This is awesome."

"My pleasure."

She opened her mouth to say something else but the peal of her phone cut her off. With a sigh, she lifted it from the table and scrolled doen to read the new message. It was a burn book blast.

 _Spotted, Prince Valiant coming to the aid of another lady in distress! Your move Princess B._

Bonnie didn't look up from her phone, when she said "I have to go."

..

Liz studied Caroline as they drove to the airport.

"The school called about the incident with Spencer Montgomery. Honey, why didn't you tell me?" she asked tenderly.

"I tried but you were out of town."

"What happened?"

Caroline told her about how Spencer roofied her, about her loss of memory, about her friends and their support and she could see the guilt in her mother's eyes.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's not important now."

"Mom, just tell me."

"I met someone."

"In Atlanta?"

"Yes. He's flying down in a few days and I'm hoping that we can all have lunch sometime."

"Aren't you rushing into this?"

"Honey, I'm forty years old. You don't ask a middle aged woman if she's rushing into romance."

"What's in New York again?"

"An errand I'm running for a friend."

"Don't worry I'll stop by and say hi to daddy for you."

After her mother's car drove away, Caroline's stomach was in knots as she approached the waiting jet. She squared her shoulders, her heels clicking against the tarmac and dragged her wheeled suitcase behind her.

Minutes later they were in the air and she was seated next to Klaus. The hostess manoeuvred a small drinks trolley down the aisle and he ordered scotch for both of them.

"When I was a little girl I wanted to be a magical princess like Sleeping Beauty-except with special powers. Then I wanted to a beauty queen then a debutant and after my dad left my mom I realized that love is fickle, men leave, and nothing is forever. That's when I realized that the only way to control whatever was happening in my life was to choose a position of power so I decided that I wanted to be the president of a sorority."

"And an attorney." He quickly offered.

"Yes and an attorney." She cleared her throat, "Now I think even that is slipping away. I can't be an Alpha Zeta Pi sweetheart anymore because I don't have Stefan."

"Who says you need Stefan to become an Alpha Zeta Pi sweetheart?"

"Because Stefan is next in line to the throne when Marcel leaves."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Becoming an Alpha Zeta Pi sweetheart is an all important stepping stone for me. It's such an honor. "She paused, drew her brows together and stole a glance at him before her eyes shied away again.

"Yes, my fraternity brothers go from sorority house to sorority house giving out pink roses to each nominee for Alpha Zeta Pi sweetheart, one for each house because it's such an honor. "He smirked, turning to look out the window.

"Do you think I'm pathetic?" Caroline rattled the ice inside her glass, starring down into it.

"You? Never."

"I did try and seduce Stefan with lingerie and cupcakes, unsuccessfully I might add."

"People have been known to do desperate things for love."

"You calling what I did desperate?"

"Let's call it misguided hope." He touched her knee with his hand and she dragged in a ragged breath.

"Thanks for doing this with me." She smiled and took another sip from her glass.

"I'll always root for you, love.

..

"You're gonna need a noise permit for the party." A campus police office informed Damon as the rest of the frat boys angled around them, loading kegs into the frat house.

They were standing at the doorway; Damon dressed in boxer shorts and a wool dressing gown over that.

"Is that so?" he asked, scratching his belly.

"New rules."

He'd known that the incident with Spencer was going to make this worse for the house but interfering with his social life was takings things a tad bit too far. He watched Stefan bounce up the steps as the campus officer bounded back down them toward his waiting vehilcle.

Hey, look who's here. Prince Valiant."

"You saw the Burn Book blast."

"Who didn't?" Damon smirked, "I must say things are getting rather crowded at the harem."

"I don't have a harem." Stefan insisted and brushed past his brother to enter the house.

"Whatever." He shrugged.

"Did you go to see Silas?"

"Yes. I paid him a visit."

"And?"

"And nothing. Lily gave him the authority to use the beach house so we'll have to deal with him being in town for a while."

"So no idea on how to kick him out of Mystic Falls?"

"Not yet but I'm working on it."

"What's with all the booze or is it just another day at party central?"

"We're having a toga mixer disguised as a bachelor auction next week."

"Fun."

..

Klaus set their bag down on the polished hardwood floor. He switched on a light switch and the room flooded with light. Caroline let her eyes drift over the black and white wall paper on the walls and the silver console table encrusted with gemstones that looked like crushed stone.

Her stilettoes clicked against the polished wood floors as she followed Klaus deeper into the apartment. Lifting a bottle of champagne from its silver bucket, he filled two flutes for them and handed her one.

"To our adventure." He toasted, dimples bracketing his smile.

..


End file.
